Harry Houdini

1874 – 1926 · died at about 52^[1][2]

Film & Entertainment

Fun Facts About Harry Houdini

• Harry Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Budapest and named himself after French magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, whose autobiography he read in 1890.^[1]
• Houdini was a keen aviator. In March 1910 he made one of the first powered airplane flights in Australia, in a French Voisin biplane he had bought for $5,000.^[1]
• At the New York Hippodrome, Houdini made a full-grown elephant vanish from the stage, a trick he had bought from magician Charles Morritt.^[1]
• Houdini first performed his Water Torture Cell for an audience of one person, as part of a one-act play, to get copyright protection against imitators.^[1]
• Houdini's crusade against fake mediums ruined his friendship with Arthur Conan Doyle, who came to believe Houdini himself was a powerful spiritualist medium.^[1][3][4]
• Houdini and his wife agreed on a secret code, "Rosabelle believe," that he would send if he could communicate after death. She held a séance every Halloween for ten years.^[1]
• Harry Houdini was alive at the same time as Charles Darwin — their lives overlapped for 8 years (1874–1882).^[1][2][5][6]
• Harry Houdini and Indira Gandhi died on the same day of the year, October 31.^[1][2][7][8]

Erik Weisz, known professionally as Harry Houdini, was an American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts.^[1]

Contemporaries

John D. Rockefeller

52 yr overlap

Claude Monet

52 yr overlap

Thomas Edison

52 yr overlap

Antoni Gaudí

52 yr overlap

Sigmund Freud

52 yr overlap

Nikola Tesla

52 yr overlap

Emmeline Pankhurst

52 yr overlap

Arthur Conan Doyle

52 yr overlap

Rabindranath Tagore

52 yr overlap

Henry Ford

52 yr overlap

Edvard Munch

52 yr overlap

H.G. Wells

52 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Harry Houdini

When was Harry Houdini born?

Harry Houdini was born on March 24, 1874, and died on October 31, 1926.

How old was Harry Houdini at death?

Harry Houdini was born on March 24, 1874, and died on October 31, 1926, at age 52.

What was Harry Houdini known for?

Harry Houdini was known for: Legendary escape artist & illusionist. Erik Weisz, known professionally as Harry Houdini, was an American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts.

Who was alive at the same time as Harry Houdini?

Harry Houdini's closest contemporary was John D. Rockefeller. Their lives overlapped for 52 years.