Today We bring Mr. Harry Houdini to your attention. He was, in his time, an enormous box office draw, packing theatres in Europe and the USA. He was born in 1874, and died from an injury connected to his work on Halloween, 1926. If P.T.Barnum was the Greatest Showman on Earth, Houdini was the Greatest Show himself.

He could get out of any handcuff made, escape jailcells, etc., pick any lock anywhere, and on and on. Often he performed these stunts under water or hanging on a rope from a height. A self-made, phenominal range of talents, all before Talkies or TV. He himself was the Special Effect.

One eccentric feature of Houdini’s career was a faith in the Hereafter, the ability of the living to commune with the deceased. This was a serious study for him, and he was disappointed that after their deaths, old friends did not get in touch. Houdini’s life story is fascinating.