As a child, Houdini saw a Bloodless Vivisection performance in Milwaukee, but historians believe he actually saw a Lynn impersonator.Īs a child, it's likely Houdini saw Atlanta’s Cyclorama Civil War painting when it was on display in Wisconsin. Lynn was known for his trick called the Bloodless Vivisection, which could be considered a historical variant of sawing a woman in half. Lynn with helping to inspire him to become a magician.

The rabbi is believed to have fled Hungary and the fight, and his family soon followed him to Appleton, Wisconsin. London says dueling was common at the time, and historians believe Houdini’s father, Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weisz, got into such a battle with a man who turned out to be a nobleman. The Breman Museum in Atlanta is featuring artifacts from such stories in a new exhibit called Inescapable: The Life and Legacy of Harry Houdini. Its curator, magician David London, stopped by On Second Thought to unravel the tales.Įhrich Weiss was born in Hungary in 1974. Other tales are lesser-known, like how the Weiss family is said to have fled Hungary after Houdini’s father, a rabbi, reportedly killed a nobleman in a duel.

The stories of Houdini’s escapes from handcuffs and his Water Torture Cell have survived almost a century after his death. As a kid, a trip to the circus inspired him to perform a neighborhood show for which he called himself Erich, King of the Air. Then, as an adult, he transformed himself into arguably most famous magician in the world: Harry Houdini.Ĭurator of The Breman Museum's Houdini exhibit, David London, walks On Second Thought host Virginia Prescott through the known - and lesser-known - stories of arguably the most famous magician in the world. APīy the time he was 11 years old, Ehrich Weiss was famous for unlocking the door of every store in his town over the course of one night.

A portrait of legendary illusionist Harry Houdini hangs in the 'Houdini Room' at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct.

Ehrich weiss