![]() ![]() He developed a reputation as an unpleasant and solitary bachelor, and his greatest friend was his dog Beauty, a cross-breed terrier he received as a gift from Houdini and whom he spoiled rotten with private suites, jewel-encrusted collars, and five-course meals. Lafayette discovered that he was quite adept at quick changes, but it was his flair and ambition to stage large-scale performances with beautiful set-pieces and dozens of extras that brought him fame and fortune. He started in vaudeville, and became inspired to turn to magic by a popular Chinese illusionist named Ching Ling Foo, but more on that later. Lafayette was born Sigmund Neuberger in Munich, Germany, in 1871, and immigrated to America with his family when he was a teenager. But today, those who do mention him usually bring up his bizarre death, which was incredibly fitting for a magician performing one last trick. The Great LafayetteĪ contemporary of Houdini, the Great Lafayette is barely remembered today, although at his peak, he was not only more successful than Houdini, but he was the highest-paid entertainer in all of theater. ![]() He was billed as Hardeen, and continued performing for almost 20 years after his brother’s death, using many of the tricks that Houdini bequeathed to him. ![]() Houdini might be well-remembered even now, a hundred years after his death, but the same cannot be said for his brother, even though he was a successful magician, as well. He used his knowledge to debunk many spiritualists, showing how they pulled off their cons using basic magic tricks that involved no supernatural elements. Outside of his stage career, Houdini took an immense dislike to psychics, mediums, and anybody else who pretended to have genuine supernatural powers. The milkcan escape was a popular one, but Houdini’s showstopper was the Chinese Water Torture Cell, where he was lowered upside-down, chained and handcuffed, into a water-filled tank. He became popular for his feats of escapology, particularly the ease with which he escaped out of handcuffs.Īs Houdini’s fame grew, so did the grandness of his tricks. He turned to magic and adopted the stage name “Harry Houdini,” in honor of another great magician we might learn about later. Since this list is in no particular order, we might as well start off with the one famous historical magician that everyone has heard of – Harry Houdini.īorn Erik Weisz in 1874 in Austria-Hungary, he immigrated to America at an early age. ![]()
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