Harry Houdini
By Peter von Marensdorff
February 8, 1999
Mrs. Walker's 3rd Grade Class
Trinity Episcopal School
Harry Houdini could get out of any handcuff, lock or chain without breaking it. Houdini was born March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary. His family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin when he was a toddler. Houdini's real name was Ehrich Weiss.
Among his siblings, who were Gladys, Leopold, Theodore, Bill and Nat, Theodore Hardeen was closest to his age, and later followed him in magic. His mother, Cecilia Stiener Weiss and his father, Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weiss were very proud of him.
Ehrich Weiss was very interested in locks and reading books about magic at an early age. For example, when Ehrich was older (9-12) he liked to watch and be in circuses. Ehrich practiced tricks every day such as walking tightropes, picking up pins with his eyelids, and getting out of ropes. Ehrich prepared for doing tricks by getting up an hour earlier than his family, doing exercise, and having his brother tie him up.
When Ehrich was older, he earned a little money by selling newspapers, polishing shoes, chopping firewood, and being a messenger boy. Ehrich changed his name to Houdini when he was older because there was a famous magician named Houdin.
Houdini was married in 1894 to Wilhemina Beatrice Rahner. He met her while doing an act making water change to ink. Unfortunately, Houdini accidentally spilled acid water that got on her dress. Her mother was enraged and told him to pay for it. Instead of paying her, he told her mom he would buy her a new dress. He did buy her a dress, and not long after, they got married. Houdini chose her for his wife because she was in good physical condition and because she was nice. They never had any children. She was a good assistant in Houdini's acts because she was so small.
In 1899, Houdini focussed his career on escape and stopped doing regular magic tricks. Some of Houdini's escape acts included getting out of handcuffs, opening locks, the water torture cell and jumping off a bridge in handcuffs. One time, Houdini caused an elephant to vanish. (They put water under the stage to disable trapdoors.) Other accomplishments of his famous life include writing books about magic and being the first to fly across Australia.
Houdini proved spiritualism was fake by putting soot on trumpets. When the so-called "spirits" started twirling the trumpets Houdini turned on a flashlight and pointed out the person with soot on his fingers. Then the person who was doing it was put in jail.
On Halloween 1926, Houdini died. Tragically, one of his disciples punched him in the stomach, which caused his appendix to burst.
I would like Houdini as a friend because he could teach me how to get out of some bad traps and positions. I would like to watch him do magic tricks, because it takes a lot of skill and practice to do them and I admire good magicians.
Bibliography
Houdini, Harry Encarta 1999. Microsoft (Corp).
Borland, Kathryn Kilby. Harry Houdini Young Magician. New York: Simon and Schuster,1969.
Website: Library of Congress, American Memories: lcweb2.loc.gov/rbc/varshoud
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