Harry Houdini Could Pick Any Lock

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Harry Houdini, was notorious for his magic acts, in which he escaped from seemingly impossible situations. Many people thought that Harry Houdini used actual magic, but he is no more magical than anyone else. It was a few masterfully executed deceptive tricks that made Harry Houdini the most well known name in magic in world history. The master magician was born Ehrich Weiss in Hungary in 1874, long before instant entertainment like television or the internet.

People had hours of free time to think up ways to amaze and astound each other. Without special movie effects like those available today, people had to work with the simplest tools they had around, like ropes, trunks, and chains. Harry was fascinated by tricks and deception and practiced long and hard to perfect his act. Before long, he was amazing large crowds of appreciative people.

One of Harry Houdini's most famous tricks was called the Metamorphosis. The solution to how this trick was done is revealed in the Outagamie Museum in Appleton, Wisconsin. Many magicians, such as David Copperfield, protested when this exhibit was opened because the trick was still being used by modern magicians. However, the museum claimed that the information would give people a deeper meaning of Houdini. Even with the solution revealed to the public, it is somewhat complicated and the effect can not be easily achieved by anyone who is not an experienced illusionist.

In Houdini's Metamorphosis trick, crowds were amazed as Houdini was tied up in a sack and locked in a wooden chest. Then, to the audience's astonishment, he would switch places with his costumed assistant. So, just how did this happen? Well, Houdini would make sure he could escape from the sack, usually by making sure the knot was not tied securely.

The costumed assistant, usually a woman in a flashy dress, would hold up a curtain. While behind the curtain Houdini would come out of the box through a hidden door on top of it. He would jump out of the box just as his assistant vanished into sack within the box. Of course, it goes without saying that extremely accurate timing on both the assistant and the magician's part is very necessary here.

In most of Houdini's tricks it was important that the ropes and chains use to tie him up were not tied tightly in the first place. If he was being tied up, he would shift his position while he was being tied so the ropes would be tied loosely. His wife was usually his assistant, and in many acts she would slip him the key to his handcuffs. In fact, it is one of his tricks that caused his death.

It is often told that he died from a ruptured spleen, and some people speculate that this had something to do with a trick in which he allowed someone to punch him in the stomach very hard. His plan was to contract his stomach muscles to avoid injuring himself, but the student who had punched him misunderstood him when he said he was not ready, thus catching Houdini off guard.

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