Magic Day - October 31st

October 31 is Magic Day, a day that commemorates the life and time of one of the most famous magicians in the world - Harry Houdini.

Harry Houdini is best known for his escape stunts. He died on this date in 1926 and the unofficial holiday was created a year after his death, as "Houdini Day". Years later, the American Magicians' Association turned this day into a "magic day" in his memory, and it organizes a national magic week every year from October 25 to 31.

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Harry Houdini is probably one of the reasons why magic is so popular nowadays, and at the time of his death he was the most famous member of the American Wizarding Society.

Houdini was born Erich Weiss in 1874 in Budapest, Hungary, to a Jewish family. His family immigrated to the United States when he was 4. When he grew up he changed his name to "Harry", a name similar to his Hungarian name but with an American sound. He died at 13:26 on October 31, 1926.

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Houdini is best known for his art of escape, which included escaping from chains, ropes, handcuffs and crazy suits, often hanging upside down or locked in a container full of water.

In addition to being an escape artist, Houdini was also a silent film actor and an avid aviation enthusiast.

Houdini died on October 31, 1926, from an infection in their appendix. Two weeks before his death he received several punches from a boxing student in an exercise designed to show the strength of his abdomen, but apparently he received the blows when he was not ready for them. It is assumed that it was not the beatings that killed him, but the inflammation in the appendix that he did not treat because he thought the abdominal pain was from the beatings and that everything was fine.

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Magic Day events

On Magic Day, trainee and professional magicians celebrate the day by organizing magic show events.

How to celebrate Magic Day?

Learn some tricks and spells and entertain your family and friends.

Read about the science and art behind magic tricks.

Go watch a magic show.

Watch the 1953 film Houdini, starring Tony Curtis, or the 2007 film Charming Harry, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Guy Pierce.

October 31st is also Halloween

Smoke and Mirrors Day- March 29

Smoke and Mirrors Day is celebrated on March 29 every year. The origin of the phrase "smoke and mirrors" is based on the illusions of magicians, in which they cause objects to appear or disappear by using mirrors in a confusing cloud of smoke. In general, the phrase "smoke and mirrors" refers to any type of presentation that distracts the public to make sure they do not see what is really going on.

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One of the really fun things about magic is that some of it is based on hand speed and some of it is based on science and math. No matter what happens in magic, the most important thing is that the magician hides from the viewer what is really happening and thus makes him believe in the illusion.

Smoke and mirrors is also an expression in the English language used to describe misleading, manipulative or unexplained things and deeds designed to confuse the listener and distract him from the truth. An interesting example of this is in the field of law where lawyers and other legal professionals use incredibly twisted language to make sure no one else understands what is going on. Politicians are known to do the same.

The art of magic has existed to entertain people around the world since ancient times, thousands of years ago. There is evidence of cave paintings from ancient Egypt depicting a performance of the "cups and balls" trick that was then in use. The history of tricks and illusions can also be learned through the Greeks and Romans, through the Dark Ages, and eventually in the 18th century where the field of magic developed rapidly as magic shows moved from a circus display to their own stage.

In the tricks of the magic of smoke and mirrors, the magicians create optical illusions by diverting the viewer's attention from the actions that create the "magic". Mirrors are often used to create illusions by manipulating light and using the properties of reflection and refraction. This illusion was first documented in 1770 when it was used by the German charlatan, leader of the Masonic union, Johann Georg Schrepfer. He built a special box with a mirror and a lantern that raises smoke that made things reflected through the smoke and look like ghosts or enchanted things. His trick caught on from there and was used in a variety of ways to mislead people for various reasons, especially in scary shows.

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Today, the term smoke and mirrors can be applied to almost anything that turns out to be a scam or misrepresentation of what is actually happening.

How to celebrate the day of smoke and mirrors?

Learn some magic and tricks and host friends or family for your magic show.

Take time to learn how to make illusions through mirrors.

Visit the Museum of Magic and Illusions or a magic show.

Take a picture of yourself performing magic and upload to social networks with the hashtag #SmokeandMirrorsDay

Bonus fact: Did you know that the earliest mirrors used by humans were dark saucers filled with liquid?

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March 29 is also Niagara Falls Runs Dry Day and Piano Day