|
 Of all the magicians in the world, perhaps none became more famous than Harry Houdini. His life story has been the subject of countless books and numerous films, videos, television specials and theatrical stage plays. The mere sound of his name is often enough to conjuror up thoughts of magical meanderings.
The exact location and date of Houdini's birth is probably one of magic's greatest mysteries. Even the correct spelling of his real name seems to be questionable. Past inaccurate writings by so-called "Magic Historians" have made searching for facts a difficult task. The majority of findings seem to indicate that Harry Houdini was born Ehrich Weiss (Erik Weisz in the Hungarian spelling) in Budapest on March 24th, 1874. Later in his life, Houdini adopted his childhood hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin as his birthplace and April 6th as his birthday, for reasons brought on by his beloved mother Cecilia Weiss. Many believe she chose this American heritage for the young Ehrich to possibly instill in him the values of an American upbringing and citizenship. To delve deeper into the controversy surrounding Houdini's birth click here. Regardless of where and when Harry Houdini was born, no one can deny the astounding impact he made within American culture. Houdini was, and still is, an American Icon. As one of the last true legends of the 20th century, his remarkable exploits are still recognized around the globe. One version which describes the early years of the Weiss family begins by explaining that Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weiss, Houdini's father, had been left a widower soon after an early marriage to Rosa Schillak, who sang at the Hofoper at Pest. Some years later, he then met Cecelia Steiner. At the time of their meeting, some believe the young Cecelia was less than half his age. After their marriage in 1864, they began a family in their native homeland of Pest, Hungary. Within the next ten years, four sons were born, Herman (Armin), Nathan, William and the youngest, Ehrich, born on March 24th, 1874. While Ehrich was still an infant, the family crossed the Atlantic headed for America, and settled in Appleton, Wisconsin (1874-75). The reasons for this hasty move are unclear, but many have guessed that the Weiss family was possibly fleeing racial and religious persecution. Once in Wisconsin, the bearded Mayer Samuel Weiss secured a job as the first Rabbi in Appleton, with an estimated annual salary of $750. With the arrival of two more sons, Theodore (Dash) and Leopold, it had become difficult to provide for the family. In search of a better job, the Weiss family moved to nearby Milwaukee. Unfortunately, the Rabbi earned even less there teaching the Torah. While in Milwaukee, the young Ehrich saw his first magic show, presented by the celebrated British conjuror, Dr. H. S. Lynn. In later years, Houdini would recall this event with amazing accuracy, describing in great detail the ambitious effect of Lynn's "Vivisection Illusion", which involved the believable slicing off of an assistant's leg, arm, and head, and then restoring them. At the age of 12, young Ehrich ran away from home in an attempt to earn more money for the family, taking odd jobs as a delivery boy, shining shoes and selling newspapers. Not earning as much as he wanted, expected, or needed, he soon joined his father, who had ventured east to New York City in search of a higher position and income. Together they managed to raise enough money to eventually send for Cecelia and the younger children. It was in New York City, where Mr. & Mrs. Weiss gave birth to their seventh child, and only daughter, Gladys. New York City seems to be where the young Ehrich, then in his early teens, discovered his first calling in magic. While working in the downtown broadway necktie factory of H. Richter's Sons, Ehrich learned his first trick from friend and co-worker, Jack Hayman (Jacob Hyman). "The Disappearing And Reappearing Quarter" was a simple sleight of hand stunt which he soon discovered could attract attention by onlookers. Ehrich became fascinated with his new skills, and became even more fascinated with the cause and effect magic had on the lay public. Not content with knowing only the tricks and the secrets behind them, he searched deeper into the art of magic and read the book that changed his life forever "Memoirs Of Robert-Houdin".  Aside from reading and learning to develop his mind, the small statured Ehrich thought it might be benificial to develop his body as well. His endevours proved to keep away the tough New York City bullies that often preyed upon those with a thin and weak size, a category that Ehrich unfortunately belonged. He challenged his own physical limits and soon became quite athletic. Within blocks of the Weiss home on East 69th Street, the dark and murky waters of the East River provided a place where he could learn to dive and swim. With friends, Ehrich would often play games, diving between the floating litter, and retreiving tossed in debris with speed and accuracy. At around the same time, Ehrich joined New York's Pastime Athletic Club and became a member of a local track team. He impressed his friends and family, and even himself with his athletic skills, and even managed to win several awards and medals. But as his interest in magic seemed to grow, it would soon exceed his desire for athletics, and everything else. Little did the young Ehrich know that these newfounded skills as an athlete would eventually play an important role in aiding his career to become the world's foremost self-liberatorny, handcuff king and prison breaker.
Reading the accounts of the conjuring Frenchman Robert-Houdin intrigued the young tie-cutter so much that he began to idolize him and his many exploits, which included performances at his own theatre in Paris, and those for Queen Victoria in England. Robert-Houdin had once used his magical skills to assist the French government, causing a rebellion to subside. With the use of a small electro-magnetic box which could only be lifted when the magnet was deactivated, Robert-Houdin made it appear as though the magic of the French could remove all strength from the Marabouts, a highly fanatical sect that declared the Algerians should sever all relations with France. When the Marabouts were unable to lift the box at Robert-Houdin's command, they feared his pretended magical powers and the rebellion was avoided. According to most sources, Ehrich was around the age of 16 or 17 years old, when he first decided to change his name. Legend tells us that Jack Hayman was probably indirectly responsible for the name being "Houdini". He had once told Ehrich that by adding an "i" to the end of a word in French makes it mean "like". Ehrich tagged an "i" onto the end of Houdin, his magic hero, and "Houdini" was created. As for his first name becoming Harry, some believe he was already being called "Ehrie" or "Erie" by his friends, and that sounds very similar to "Harry". Others believe he got the name Harry by the people at the necktie factory, a kind of nick-name of sorts. Still others believe it might have been adopted from another man who Ehrich had so sincerely admired, Harry Kellar, the leading magician of the day. No matter what the truth be, the name Harry Houdini would eventually become legendary. |
| NEXT PAGE |
|
|
|
