The Grave of Harry Houdini – Queens, NY

Lately, the life and death of the famed magician and escape artist, Harry Houdini, has been toying with my imagination. Houdini wasn’t a tall man—outwardly a mere mortal—yet he captivated world audiences with death-defying stunts and impossible escapes. Generations of magicians since give a quick and natural nod of appreciation and reverence when his name comes up in conversation. While “magic” acts were nothing new during his life, Houdini took potential and built a temple, transforming traditional sidewalk acts into stage-worthy spectacles that helped us to question what was real and what was just show. Is there always a way out of a difficult situation?

Toward the end of his days, Houdini dedicated much of his time and effort to debunking so-called prophets, fortune tellers, snake oil peddlers, and especially the individuals that claimed to have extraordinary powers that enabled them to communicate with the afterlife. He was no bullshitter, and he didn’t stand for it either.

Houdini’s passing came as a surprise to the world. He didn’t run out of air in a locked crate at the bottom of the Hudson River, and he didn’t drown while handcuffed, upside-down in a water chamber. His fate ended at the hands of an overly excited fan that threw a couple unexpected punches to his gut in an attempt to test if he was as inhumanly strong as popular belief held. Several days later on October 31, 1926 life escaped his body as a result of peritonitis which was not helped by a ruptured appendix.

Given Houdini’s success at debunking spirit speakers, it may sound odd that his beloved assistant and wife, Bess, held unsuccessful annual seances for a decade after his death until 1943 when she said that “ten years is long enough to wait for any man.” She passed away that February.

Houdini is laid to rest in Machpelah Cemetery in Queens, New York.