Houdini biography for 4th graders

Ducksters biography

His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician Robert-Houdin — He first attracted notice in vaudeville in the United States and then as "Harry ' Handcuff ' Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers , straitjackets under water, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk can with water in it.

In , thousands watched as he tried to escape from special handcuffs commissioned by London's Daily Mirror , keeping them in suspense for an hour. Another stunt saw him buried alive and only just able to claw himself to the surface, emerging in a state of near-breakdown. While many suspected that these escapes were faked, Houdini presented himself as the scourge of fake spiritualists.

As President of the Society of American Magicians, he was keen to uphold professional standards and expose fraudulent artists. He was also quick to sue anyone who imitated his escape stunts.

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Houdini made several movies but quit acting when it failed to bring in money. He was also a keen aviator and aimed to become the first man to fly a powered aircraft in Australia. Houdini was one of seven children: Herman M. Weisz arrived in the United States on July 3, , on the SS Frisia with his mother who was pregnant and his four brothers.

The family changed their name to the German spelling Weiss, and Erich became Erik. According to the census, the family lived on Appleton Street in an area that is now known as Houdini Plaza. On June 6, , Rabbi Weiss became an American citizen. Losing his job at Zion in , Rabbi Weiss and family moved to Milwaukee and fell into dire poverty.