Time and again, Houdini's escapes from seemingly impossible predicaments thrilled audiences, who found in him a metaphor for their own lives, an affirmation of the human capacity to overcome adversity.
Although Houdini his name from the great Robert-Houdin, his true professional father was Harry Kellar, one of the great American magicians of all time.
Jack London and Harry Houdini quickly became friends when they met in 1915. But on that day, they would have been shocked to know what their future held: London would soon be dead, and not long after Houdini would carry on an affair with his widow.
The name "Harry Houdini" pays homage to Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, the French performer widely considered the father of modern magic. But Houdini’s relationship with his famous predecessor was not as simple as their shared name suggests.
Accused of perpetrating fraud on the German public with his act, Houdini responded by suing his accusers. In the slander trial which followed, he staged one of the great escapes of his career.
With a heady assortment of entertainment choices at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, many probably missed nineteen-year-old Ehrich Weiss, a.k.a. Harry Houdini, who had just embarked on his quest for fame.
The language of politicians can be remarkably similar from country to country, even when the cultures of countries are as disparate as those of United States and China. Read quotes from Richard Nixon, Mao Tse-tung, and Chou En-lai and figure out who said what.
An unlikely celebrity who drew fire from across the political spectrum, Henry Kissinger is widely recognized as one of the great American statesmen of the twentieth century.
It lasted only an hour, but the unscheduled meeting between Chairman Mao Tse-tung and Richard Nixon was the highlight of the president's February 1972 mission to China.
