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No Lock Could Contain Harry Houdini

By: Nick Messe

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It is true that locks were invented to provide security and peace of mind. It is assumed that a lock on your door prevents access and protects the people and goods inside. Conversely, they can also prevent escape. However, locks were no match for someone like Harry Houdini.

Erik Weiss or Harry Houdini as he called himself came from Budapest in Hungary and went on to become the world's most renowned magician. However his best tricks included his amazing escapes from any kind of containment.

Locks, chains, locked boxes, straitjackets, a tangle of ropes, even locked prison cells could not restrain him. There seemed to be nothing that Houdini could not unshackle. Though Houdini went on to become the world's best magician and escapologist, his climb to success was not easy.

He started showing signs of becoming a performer quite early in his life. When Houdini was seventeen, he chose to pursue a life of magic rather than work in a factory. He had to struggle for several years before he achieved a measure of success.

He started out as a full time magician at the age of twenty and excelled in all kinds of card tricks, escapes and illusions. However they did not bring him popularity. His first break came in 1899 when he performed his handcuff act on the Orpheum Vaudeville circuit. Soon he was named "The Handcuff King" and his popularity grew across Europe and America.

Houdini would go to great measures to perfect his act. When a police officer alleged that he was bribing people to get through his acts, Houdini sued the officer and won the case hands down by opening the judge's safe. Later on in his life, when audiences started dwindling, Houdini introduced more thrills into his acts by starting to escape from water filled containers. Most of these acts were life threatening stunts, but he conquered all his fears and went on to become one of the best performers ever.

The thrill of death was what drove people to keep coming back to his acts. His most famous act was the Chinese water torture cell. He held his breath for as long as three minutes before he would completely unlock himself and come out of the water.

Houdini did explain some of his acts later on in his career to his fellow magicians. He explained how by applying strategic pressures along certain points, locks could be easily opened up. Similarly he showed them how he used to swallow a lot of things like keys, pins, and lock picks. Houdini could then easily get them back and unlock himself without panicking. Although locks are meant to be secure, it was his prowess at eluding them that brought people to his shows again and again.

He was a pioneer of his time and even today there is no one who can top Houdini's tricks and magic acts. To this day, his amazing legacy still astounds people from all corners of the world. So the next time you lock your door, be thankful that there are not too many men like Harry Houdini in your neighborhood.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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