Houdini is probably the world's most famous magician.
Harry Houdini, born Erik Weisz, was a Hungarian-American magician and performer. Houdini is noted mainly for his escaping acts in which he would often chain or handcuff himself while being submerged in water. Houdini did not claim to have any supernatural powers and in fact, largely set out to debunk the myths surrounding contemporary magic tricks.
Mirror Handcuff Challenge
In 1904, London's Daily Mirror challenged Harry Houdini to break out of a pair of handcuffs custom made by a British locksmith. Allegedly, the locksmith spent seven years perfecting the lock. Houdini performed his escape on stage behind a curtain to an audience of over 4000 people. The escape took him over an hour and the method by which he escaped is still unknown. After the ordeal, Houdini is said to have broken into tears.
Milk Can Escape
One of Houdini's most well known tricks was escaping from an over-sized milk can. The can was filled with water, Houdini was then handcuffed and locked inside the can. This trick was performed over the course of four years and was, for that length of time, his most common and most popular trick. Houdini invited the audience to feel the sense of urgency by holding their breath while he performed his escape.
Suspended Straightjacket Escape
Houdini performed a public escape in which he was strapped into a straight-jacket and suspended from a high building or crane. He famously performed this escape in New York City. He would wriggle his way to freedom while fully suspended in the air. Once he had gotten himself free of the straight-jacket he would hold on to a safety line and be lowered down again. Houdini also performed this stunt in Melbourne, Australia, where he had the rope set on fire, thus adding a time element to his escape.
Buried Alive Stunt
Houdini's buried alive stunt originated as an attempt to debunk Egyptian performer Rahman Bey's claim to have supernatural powers. Rahman Bey asserted supernatural abilities permitted him to stay in a closed casket for an hour. Houdini had himself locked in a casket, which was then submerged in a pool. He lasted one hour and a half claiming he achieved it through controlled breathing. On one occasion, Houdini had himself buried alive under six feet of earth without a casket. This stunt nearly killed him as he began to panic under the weight of the earth. When he finally did reach the surface, he fell unconscious.
