Subscribers can listen to the audio of this post here.
Magicians know best that there is no magic. While they cast illusions that mesmerize crowds and have the audience wondering how in the three-in-one-shampoo-conditioner-body-wash-fuck they did that, the magician understands there is nothing supernatural, but rather a combination of preparation and trickery. Alas, Harry Houdini couldn’t prepare himself enough to trick his way out of a ruptured appendix, and the non-magical science of 1926 medicine wasn’t up to saving him.
--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: October 24, 1926--
Born Erik Weisz in Budapest in 1874, Houdini’s exploits earned him having his stage name become a household one; the dude kicked ass. He was a great escape artist and debunker of bullshit whose work captivated millions. At age 20, he was performing with his brother “Dash” at Coney Island when they met Bess Rahner, who was part of a song and dance act. Dash pursued Bess but she was wild about Harry. They married and Bess became Harry’s magic assistant for the rest of his life, which would be only another 32 years.
Did the punches contribute to his death? Can’t say for sure. Maybe. I think probably.
It was October 22, 1926. Harry was 52 and about to perform in Montreal, but he had a broken ankle. Prior to the show a number of people were in his dressing room, including students from McGill University. Witnesses proclaim one student, 31-year-old J. Gordon Whitehead, asked Houdini about his ability to withstand punches to the midsection, to which Harry replied he could endure a lot.
Houdini was reclining due to his ankle, and Whitehead, who was just an ordinary dude and not some boxer as later reported, hit him several times. Houdini stopped him and said he’d not had time to prepare for the blows. If his ankle had not been broken, he would have stood and clenched to prepare.
He performed that night in pain. He ignored the increasing pain for two days, until he saw a physician who diagnosed acute appendicitis. The doctor advised immediate surgery, but Houdini ignored him and performed another show in Detroit on October 24, 1926, which would be Houdini’s last performance. He had a fever of 104F, and passed out during the show, but was revived and continued. Afterward he was taken to hospital, where he died a week later from peritonitis due to a ruptured appendix.
It’s unclear if the punches were to blame, and Whitehead was not charged, but Houdini’s wife Bess fought with the insurance company to have the dressing room incident labeled the cause of his death in order to get a double payout on his life insurance.
Subscribe for access to cool shit:
VOLUME II ON SALE NOW! Get Volumes I and II of ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY SH!T WENT DOWN