Do you know Harry Houdini was called the

Handcuff King? In this report you will learn all

about him. You will learn about his childhood,
how he got his name, the feats he performed, his
death, how he became famous, and his unique
abilities.

Houdinis Childhood

Do you know who Harry Houdinis family
was? Harry Houdini was born as Erik Weisz on
March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary.
Houdinis father was Rabbi Mayer Samuel
Weiss. Houdinis moms name was Cecelia. He
was one of seven children. His siblings names
were Herman M., Nathan J., Gottfried William,
Theodore, Leopold D., and Carrie Gladys.

In Hungary, Houdinis family was poor, so
they decided to move to New York when he was
four years old. When they came to the United
States on July 3
rd
, 1878, the family changed their
surname from Weisz to Weiss and Eriks name
to Ehrich.
How Houdini Got His Name

Do you wonder how Harry Houdini got his
name? Harry Houdini got his name from reading
Jean Eugene Robert-Houdins autobiography. A
friend told him that in French that if you add an
I to the end of a name it means like that
person. He admired him, so he added an I to
the last of Robert-Houdins last name. He had
been nicknamed Ehrie or Harry as a kid, so he
became Harry Houdini.
Small Time to Big Time to Big Time

Do you ever wonder how Harry Houdini
became famous? In 1893 Harry Houdini met
manger Martin Beck in rural Woodstock,
Illinois. Impressed by Houdinis handcuffs act,
Beck advised him to concentrate on escape acts,
and booked him on the vaudeville circuit. In
months, Houdini was performing at the top
Vaudeville theaters.

In 1916, Houdini opened a business called the
film development corporation in west Hoboken,
New Jersey.

Here are some of Harry Houdinis most
Famous Escapes
It seemed impossible to escape but Harry
Houdini always did it.
The Milk Can Escape
Harry Houdinis hands were hand cuffed, put
over sized milk can that was filled with water
the lid was put on it was locked with six locks
the keys were put at the foot lights, a man stood
by with an ax just in case he could not escape.

The Suspended Straitjacket
One day on a hot morning 90 years ago
30,000 people watched as San Francisco police
tied Harry Houdinis feet were tied together put
in a straight jacket and hung up side down by his
ankles on a pulley rigged from the 7
th
story of
the Hearst building. He was 49 years old.

The Chinese Water Torture Cell
First Houdinis feet were locked in stocks. He
was lowered into the water torture chamber
over-flowing with water. The stocks are locked
onto the cell. The water torture cell is a large
wood box with a glass panel in the front so the
audience could watch Harry Houdini struggle to
escape. The curtain was shut to hide the escape.
A metal cage was lowered into the cell to
prevent Houdini from turning. The cage bars
also protected Harry Houdini if the glass broke.
(There was a way for his assistants to break in
and save him if something went wrong.)

Death of Harry Houdini
It did not seem as if anything could kill Harry
Houdini. While having an art student draw him
in his changing room before a performance, a
college student named Whitehead came in and
asked him if it was true that he could withstand
any blow to the stomach. Houdini replied,
Yes. He was hit three times in the
stomachbefore Houdini could tighten up his
stomach muscles to avoid injury. Whitehead
continued hitting Houdini several more times,
the pain showed on his face. His appendix burst
from the hits from Whitehead.

Houdini could not displease his audience, so
he preformed that night and four more times in
the next few days. He refused medical treatment,
then passed out on his last performance and was
rushed to the hospital. While dying he said to his
wife, Bess, Rosabelle believe. That meant in
his afterlife, if a spiritualist said those words to
his wife, she would know it was Houdini trying
to contact her.

On October 31
st
, 1928 Houdini died of
peritonitis from a ruptured appendix at 1:26 PM
in room 401 at Detroit Grace Hospital. He was
fifty-two years old.

Unique Abilities of Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini had many unmatched talents.
Houdini had absolute control of his muscles. He
could pick up a coin with his palm and he could
use his throat muscles. To pull off some escapes
he would hide a small key in his throat, since he
was able to regurgitate small keys. Houdini
could hold his breath for an incredibly long time.
He did one escape where it seemed as if hed
held his breath for over an hour. When Houdini
would perform a straightjacket escape he would
expand his chest when the straight jacket was
put on, and when he was taking it off he would
make his chest smaller. He would dislocate his
shoulder to allow his arm over his head to take
off the straight jacket.
Conclusion

Harry Houdini was a fascinating performer
who influenced the world of magic. People still
talk and wonder about how a century later.