He also had the ‘Chinese water torture cell’ as part of his dangerous acts. He would get handcuffed and sealed inside the large milk can filled with water. In 1908, he came up with the milk can trick. Throughout his life, Houdini devised newer and more complex cages to escape from. However, later the Hungarian wrote a book that criticized Robert Houdin’s skills as a magician. He also wrote books and was a fan of aviation.īorn as Ehrich Weisz on March 24 in 1874, Houdini had taken this stage name after French magician Jean Eugene Robert Houdin. He performed in the circus early on in his life after coming to the US, along with performing his escape stunts for various television shows and movies.

Harry Houdini: A salute to the master of escapes on his birth anniversary.(Instagram)īorn in Budapest to a rabbi, Houdini was a lot more than just a magician. The Hungarian-born American is arguably the greatest illusionist of the modern times, known for his signature escape acts.

Have you heard of the Houdini act? The phrase which means to escape gets its name from Harry Houdini.

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