Harry Houdini Remains a Mystery in Death

In an age where forensic medicine appears capable of solving almost any crime, it seems that they are now prepared to take on one of the greatest mysteries of all time: The death of Harry Houdini. Although reports at the time of his death indicate that Houdini died from complications of a ruptured appendix, speculation has always been that, in truth, he might have been murdered.

According to his birth certificate, Houdini was born as Erik Weisz, the son of a rabbi in Budapest, Hungary on March 24, 1874. Confusion regarding his actual date of birth added to the mystery of this elusive man for many years, since he claimed to have been born on April 6, 1874, in Appleton, Wisconsin. In reality, however, he immigrated to the U.S. with his family in 1878. The Weisz family did indeed live in Appleton, Wisconsin where his father served as the rabbi for the Zion Reform Jewish Congregation.

Houdini held several jobs as a young boy; one of which was as a locksmith's apprentice, which might account for his unusual ability to pick just about any lock known to man. He was 20 years old when Erik decided to become a professional magician and began calling himself Harry Houdini. The first name, Harry, was a derivative of his childhood nickname "Eherie" which sounded much like the name Harry. The last name, Houdini, came from his idol French magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.

At first, Houdini's magic career was not very successful. His biggest claim to fame in the early years is that this is when he met his wife, fellow performer Wihelmina Beatrice (Bess) Rahner. The couple married three weeks after meeting in what could only be called love at first sight.

Houdini's big break came in 1899 when he met Martin Beck, a legendary showman. Beck was intrigued by Houdini's handcuff trick. It was he who suggested that the magician focus his act on escaping from various traps. This hook worked moving Houdini from near obscurity to performing at the top vaudeville houses in the U.S. However, it was his trip to Europe in 1900 that would finally land the magician front and center.