Hail Houdini

This week I have brought you a true incident from the life of a great man, the one whose life was a storm that raged across continents. Harry Houdini, one of the greatest magicians till-date and the greatest ever Escape Artist known to the mankind (with an arguable exception of the current American sensation David Copperfield).

Harry Houdini, his real name Ehrich Weiss, was born in Budapest, Hungary on 24th March, 1974. At the age of three he moved with his family to United States. Growing up in an economically tight situation, he was forced to do several jobs at an early age, one of which was as an apprentice of a locksmith. This job proved to be the sweetest strike of fortune for young Ehrich, a job that unleashed the great talent he was born with - opening locks without use of a key.

Before long Harry had turned into a professional magician and taken the name Harry Houdini. Although he did several tricks as a magicians, clever games with cards and astonishing illusions, his tricks as an escape artist amused people most.

At the age of 26, Houdini left for London with his wife having money enough only for a week’s survival. After some search, Houdini succeeded in having a theatre book him for a brief period. Clever Houdini perceived that he needed publicity to further elongate his contract with the theatre. That was precisely when he came to know about Scotland Yard, the famous headquarters of British Police, and their most intelligent handcuffs till date.

Houdini made a public announcement that he can free himself from the handcuffs of Scotland Yard. Given the small name of Houdini in the country, Scotland Yard ignored him offhandedly. But soon the news of the challenge spread everywhere and finally Scotland Yard allowed Houdini a chance so that the madman would be proved wrong and the issue doused.

An officer guided Houdini to a small ground enclosed by walls within the premises of Scotland Yard. There was a pillar in the centre of the ground. The officer cuffed Houdini with the pillar and said with a smirk, ‘Try as you may, magician, I’ll return after lunch.’ But as soon as he turned to leave the ground, Houdini said from behind him, ‘Wait, officer, I am coming for the lunch as well,’ and handed the officer the handcuffs.