Questions still haunt Houdini’s Halloween death 100 years later
Harry Houdini (1874-1926) American conjuror, here with chains, c. 1906. (APIC/Getty Images)
Mystery cloaked the life and performances of escape artist Harry Houdini, and it followed him until his death, perplexing experts for the past century.
Houdini, a Hungarian born Erik Weisz, became one of the most famous magicians and vaudeville performers in history after immigrating with his family to the United States at 4.
He died 100 years ago on Oct. 31, 1926, at 52.
His official cause of death was listed as peritonitis, an infection caused by a ruptured appendix. But, since the day he died, theories about alternative causes have lived on.
Some say a surprise punch to his stomach caused deadly appendicitis to the man who kept himself in peak physical condition.
Others insist he suffered from an intestinal blockage.
Some theorize he was killed by people working as spirit mediums. He had been exposing them as frauds just before his death.
One of the most widespread myths was created by a 1953 film in which Houdini was portrayed as unable to escape the water torture cell in time to save his own life.
"There’s plenty of room for speculation, for conspiracy theories, and so it continues," Houdini historian and biographer John Cox told Fox News Digital.
"It continues to this day."
Houdini's story returns in the new three-part Fox Nation series "Houdini: Back from the Dead," in which artificial intelligence helps him appear to sit down for a modern-day interview to recount his struggles, relationships and legendary feats.
‘Poorly timed’ punch
A key event in the timeline of Houdini’s death is the now-famous series of punches to his stomach on Oct. 22, 1926.
Nine days before Houdini died, a university student named J. Gordon Whitehead visited the performer in his dressing room at a Montreal theater. Historians report that Houdini was reclining on a couch when Whitehead asked if he could test his ability to withstand a blow to the stomach.
Houdini obliged.
But before he could brace himself, Whitehead began punching.
It continued until another person in the room begged Whitehead to stop, said Roger Dreyer, president of Houdini Revealed, a museum in New York.
Many historians agree that, because of the punches, Houdini ignored what actually were symptoms of appendicitis, Cox said.
Though some believed the blows caused the deadly inflammation, that was never proven.
"He didn't get it treated in time," Cox said. "His appendix ruptured. This caused peritonitis, which was a massive infection. And back then, you died from that.
"Had he not been punched, this pain would have come out of nowhere, and he might have gone and sought medical attention sooner. So, the punch was very likely just a very poorly timed accident that caused him to not pay attention to what was really happening to him medically."
Regardless, the punches brought a financial windfall to his family.
Houdini was thousands of dollars in debt at the time of his death. Because the punches were blamed for killing him, his life insurance policy paid out double.
"He had a life insurance [policy] of $25,000," Dreyer said.
The agreement was that "if he died from an accident, he received another $25,000. Twenty-five-thousand dollars back then was almost $500,000" in today’s value.
Spooky Halloween seances
Houdini had been fixated on the idea of death because his daredevil behavior often brought him to the brink of it, Dreyer said.
But Houdini also worked to expose as frauds people who claimed to communicate with the dead. He believed their tactics were scams that targeted grieving people.
He faced defamation lawsuits for that, Dreyer said.
He and his wife, Bess Houdini, made an agreement that, if one of them died, they would try to contact the other.
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Harry Houdini holds onto a railing by his chin while tied up in a straight jacket. (Getty)
After his death, Bess Houdini held seances every Halloween for 10 years, attempting to make contact. When none of her attempts were successful, she gave up, concluding contact with the dead wasn’t possible.
One hundred years later, interest in Houdini lives on. That’s because he was more than just a performer, Dreyer said.
"It's not because of his death we're talking about him. It's because of the way Houdini lived and what he represented. That's why we're talking about Houdini."
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He was the top "social influencer" of his time, a "pop icon," Dreyer said. Houdini still is a household name and is synonymous with escaping tricky situations, he noted.
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More than just a performer, he sought to spread a positive message that would motivate people to overcome challenges in life, Dreyer said.
As "chief wizard officer" of Fantasma Toys, Dreyer tries to carry on Houdini’s sense of surprise and making "the impossible possible" to inspire the next generation of magicians.
One of Houdini’s mottos was "My brain is the key that sets me free," Dreyer said.
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"His escapes remind us that ingenuity, determination and courage can help us overcome life’s challenges."
And his escapes still captivate even those who’ve studied him for decades, Cox said.
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"We're still trying to figure out how Houdini did what he did."
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