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