Not only was Houdini's childhood spent in poverty, but the individual family members seemed often to be at odds with each other. Houdini's family had its share of conflicts. Though a lot has been written about Houdini's devotion to his mother, it is clear that he was also close to, and proud of, his father, as can be seen the notes he wrote in the family bible. Samuel Weiss was a rabbi who died in 1892 of cancer, before his son's magical career got started. Heading the family were Mayer Samuel (1829-1892) and Cecilia (1841-1913), Houdini's mother and father. Herman was really Houdini's half brother, from Rev. (1879-1962) and one sister, Gladys Carrie (born 1882 - unknown year of death). He was four years old when his family moved to America, sailing into New York on Jon the S.S. Though he claimed throughout his life that Appleton, Wisconsin was his birthplace (and April 6 his birthdate), he was really born in Budapest, Hungary. Houdini was born Erich Weiss on March 24, 1874. The Houdini myth is about to be examined, and truth really is stranger than fiction! His name is synonymous with escapes his ability to get out of seemingly impossible situations- and his knack for publicizing these events- made him a legend in his own time. There is no question that Houdini is the most famous magician in history. Most importantly, he was a legend.Please CLICK HERE before copying this information Then the props were displayed in a museum in Wisconsin, before they were auctioned to magician David Copperfield.Īn escape artist, magician, and mystery, Houdini was many things.
After his death, Houdini's props were used by his brother, Theo and later sold to a collector. What is certain is that he died on October 31, 1923, at the age of 52, in Detroit, Michigan. Some think he died due to a burst appendix, poison, or from a punch in the stomach. Nobody quite knows how Houdini died, but there are theories of what might of happened. His most famous one was escaping from a water torture cell. Houdini spent years perfecting his tricks. She was just the right size to slip in and out of the boxes and crates. He was inspired to change his name to ''Harry Houdini'' because of his nickname, ''Ehire'', sounded like ''Harry.'' When Houdini first started, his profesional magic career, he performed at Penny Museums with his wife, Bessie. Houdini started to perform professionally at the age of 17 with his brother Theo Weisz. His early life was not very consistent, but that did not stop Houdini from pursuing his dreams.
While living with his father, Houdini took on small jobs like shining shoes or doing a paper route to earn money for his family.
They first moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, at the young age of 13, Houdini moved to New York with his father. His parents, Cecilia Steiner and Rabbi Mayer Weisz, decided to move their family to America in 1876. Born with the name ''Enrich Weisz,'' he was one of seven children. Houdini was born March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungry. The famous Harry Houdini did more than that, however: he was an escape artist. When one thinks of a magician, one might imagine card tricks or a guy pulling a rabbit out of a hat.