10 Interesting Facts You Probably Don't Know About Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-American escape artist, illusionist, stunt performer and mysteriarch, noted for his escape acts.






Here is a list of 10 Interesting Facts you Probably don't know about Harry Houdini

1. He ran away from home at the age of 12.



2. He  could dislocate a shoulder at will. He could swallow something (like a lock pick) and regurgitate it later. He could hold his breath for an incredibly long time.



3. His brother was a also a talented magician who preformed under the name Hardeen. 



4. He was also an accomplished pilot and in 1910 was the first person to acheive controlled flight over Australia. 




5. Early in his career, before the debunking, he actually preformed spiritualist acts something he later came to regret as he saw how seriously people took it. 



6. He was actually an early film maker and there haven been recent efforts (particularly by the Houdini Museum of Scranton PA) to restore his films. 



7. He DIDN'T die in the Water Torture Cell, like they showed in the Tony Curtis movie. He died of Peritonitis from a burst appendix.



8. He was deeply religious and wrote in his book “A Magician Amongst the Spirits’ (about his years debunking mediums) that he was firmly convinced of the existence of an afterlife he just came to reject the possibility of any form of communication with those who had died based on years of experience. 



9. Driven by his staunch patriotism, Houdini held seminars for American soldiers during World War I, teaching them how to get rid of handcuffs and ropes or escape a sinking ship.



10. A portion of his inheritance was auctioned off in 2004, most of which was bought by the very popular modern magician, David Copperfield.



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