History
Harry Houdini and the Great Copyright Escape
Houdini knew that owning a patent for an illusion did little to stop imitators from stealing his thunder — so he employed a bit of legal sleight of hand.
Harry Houdini
Performance
The Original Forger of Magic
No one was as successful at impersonation and forgery as William Ellsworth Robinson, nor has anyone failed as spectacularly.
Art
The Bumbling Robots and Awkward Automatons of Silent Cinema
The word "robot" first appeared in Czech author Karel Čapek's 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots).
Art
A Disappeared Houdini Film Escapes from Obscurity
The great escape artist Harry Houdini starred in five silent films in the early 20th century, but one considered among his best was long considered lost — until now.
Art
New York's Most Unusual Halloween Ritual
In one of his last great performances, Harry Houdini escaped after 90 minutes from a coffin submerged in the swimming pool of New York's Shelton Hotel (today the New York Marriott East Side).
Art
Tricks and Trade of 19th-Century Magic in Houdini's Digitized Scrapbooks
Through the recently digitized scrapbooks of Harry Houdini, you can be transported to the world of 19th-century magic, an era of deception and curiosity about the unknown.