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nToday’snbirthday boy has one of the best job titles ever: he was annescapologist!
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nAnnescapologist?
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nOne who escapes from chains and handcuffs, sometimesnunder water—maybe even upside down and under water! Houdininregularly escaped from handcuffs inside a sealed over-sized milk cannfilled with water. The milk can was sometimes locked inside a woodennchest, as well, or inside another sealed milk can, or chained andnpadlocked.
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Another popular Houdini escape act was really weird:nHoudini was strapped into a straitjacket and then suspended by hisnankles from a tall building. He would make his escape in front of ancrowd of people on the street—and when I say “crowds,” I meanncrowds that sometimes numbered in the thousands! These crowds wouldnspontaneously gather as more and more people ran to see what wasngoing on; and, of course, any time you get a crowd of thousands ofnpeople, there is going to be a huge traffic jam! In New York City,nHoudini sometimes brought blocks worth of cars to a standstill.
Another popular Houdini escape act was really weird:nHoudini was strapped into a straitjacket and then suspended by hisnankles from a tall building. He would make his escape in front of ancrowd of people on the street—and when I say “crowds,” I meanncrowds that sometimes numbered in the thousands! These crowds wouldnspontaneously gather as more and more people ran to see what wasngoing on; and, of course, any time you get a crowd of thousands ofnpeople, there is going to be a huge traffic jam! In New York City,nHoudini sometimes brought blocks worth of cars to a standstill.n
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nAsidenfrom all the fantastic escapes, Houdini was a magician, stuntnperformer, actor, film producer, and aviator. n
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Butnan even better job title was this:
Butnan even better job title was this:n
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nGHOSTBUSTER!
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nInnmy opinion, Harry Houdini’s most important, and most admirable, rolenwas skeptic. He set out to expose frauds who pretended to be in touchnwith dead people, also known as the “dearly departed.” Psychics,nmediums, and spiritualists claimed to be able to reach the deadnrelatives of grief-stricken people, and they charged a lot of moneynfor these services. Houdini’s training in magic helped him to figurenout how these so-called psychics were able to trick customers andneven scientists. He debunked so many frauds who were supposedly inntouch with ghosts, that he became known as the ghostbuster.
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nCool,nhuh?
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nHoudininwould disguise himself so that the medium or psychic wouldn’tnrecognize him, and he would go to a séance with a police officer andnreporter. He would figure out the psychic’s tricks and then exposenthe fakery to all.
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Herenyou can read about an amazing magic trick, or illusion, that Houdininonce performed on his one-time friend, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whonwas the author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
Herenyou can read about an amazing magic trick, or illusion, that Houdininonce performed on his one-time friend, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whonwas the author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. n
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nHerenyou can see a straitjacket escape by Houdini.
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nHerenis a picture of a 2002 Houdini postage stamp, along with someninteresting biographical info on the world-famous magician.
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nOh,nby the way…
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n“Harryn Houdini” was a stage name. Houdini’s real name was Erik Weisz, latern changed to Ehrich Weiss.
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nHoudinin (then Weisz) was born in Hungary on this date in 1874, and he camen to America when he was four years old.
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nHoudinin died on Halloween Day!
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nAlsonon this date:
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nAnniversary of a very big stamp sale
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nNational Tree Planting Day in Uganda
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