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5 Things to Know About Harry Houdini

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The is holding a special program Tuesday about Harry Houdini, called "Houdini and the Magic of Thinking Big!" The program, to be held from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., will be for grades kindergarten through fifth, and will be about the American success story that was Houdini. So in honor of this program, we present five things to know about the magician himself.

Information from The Great Harry Houdini.

  • 1874—Houdini was born March 24, 1874 in Hungary, and his family immigrated to the United States in 1876, moving to Milwaukee when he was 8 years old.
  • Escaping—Houdini had already been performing magic tricks, and left his family to be a magician, but gained fame when he started to be able to escape from handcuffs and prison cells. He made his name in America, receiving certificates from wardens for escaping their jails.
  • Stage Name—Houdini was born Ehrich Weiss, and took on the name Houdini by adding an ìiî to the last name of his idol, French magician Robert Houdin.
  • Europe—Houdini began touring in Europe, and he increased his popularity by escaping from straitjackets and coffins.
  • Hollywood Walk of Fame—Houdini moved on to the film industry, acting and starting his own film laboratory, and eventually earned a star on the Walk of Fame.

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