LINK: How Houdini made Croydon churn with his staged escape act

Nice article at Inside Croydon about Houdini's appearances in Croydon in 1909 and 1910. The central mystery is where exactly Houdini appeared, but I can tell you it was at the Empire Theater of Varieties on North End Street (later the Eros Cinema). You can see I added a comment to the article.

I would still like to nail down the date of this challenge from Hooker's Dairy, even though it's too late to make it into my book. I'm also on the hunt for additional details about his two 1910 appearances, as those will be covered in the next book.

Related:

• The Milk Can
• Derek Tait's new book is a Houdini ESSENTIAL
• Did Houdini really almost drown in beer?

LINK: St. Joseph magician steps into Houdini’s history with upcoming Kansas City escape attempt

This is a standout article about the upcoming Kansas City Houdini events, Houdini in St. Joseph, MO, and our friend Lance Rich, who plans to recreate Houdini's suspended straitjacket escape on the exact site of Houdini's historic 1915 escape. 

Click the headline to have a read at News-Press NOW.

Related:

• The week Kansas City is Wild About Harry!
• Next stop: Kansas City
• Houdini's nights in a bar room

LINK: 120 years ago, Harry Houdini and a pair of handcuffs created controversy in Salem

A nice article here by Oliva Deng about Houdini's 1906 visit to Salem and the handcuffs that caused a bit of controversy at the Peabody Academy of Science (today the PEM). Click the headline or the handcuffs below to read.

You can view the Houdini handcuffs at the PEM's special exhibition, Houdini on Salem, on show now. The museum will also host a special "Houdini Halloween Magic Show and Curator Talk" on Oct. 31, 2026.

Related:

• Houdini exhibit at the PEM in Salem
• Salem will rename street "Houdini Way"
• LINK: The complete account of Houdini's visit to Salem, Massachusetts

LINK: The trouble began with Harry Houdini’s beaver-skin top hat.

If you're part of the magic-collecting world, you already know about this painful scandal. This Rolling Stone article by Nina Strochlic and Michael Greshko lays out the story. Click the headline or the image below to read.

UPDATE: Looks like this is sometimes behind a paywall. But I believe it will open to first-time visitors. If it's open for you, be sure and read it all. If you click away, you may not be able to return.

 
Related:

• There's a skilled Houdini forger out there
• Houdini fakes are flooding online auction sites
• Alleged "Houdini stunt-used straitjacket" at auction

LINK: Interview with Larrian Gillespie at Crime Fiction Lover

The centenary books roll on! Next up is Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice by our friend Dr. Larrian Gillespie. Larrian recently sat down with Crime Fiction Lover to discuss the book. It's a great interview that you can read by clicking the headline or the image below.

 

Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice comes out July 1st and can be purchased in hardcover and paperback HERE or by clicking below.

Related:

• The 2026 Houdini Centennial Bookshelf
• Did a contract clause kill Houdini?
• Time to rethink the rethinking on the Houdini punch

LINK: Needling Houdini by Ben Winn

Our friend Ben Winn has written a superb article for the June issue of Genii Magazine about Houdini's clash with the Rigoletto brothers over the Needles trick. It's very well written and researched, as we've come to expect from Ben!

Click here or on the headline to read an excerpt at Genii Magic. For the full article, you can subscribe to Genii Magazine.

Related:

• Genii and Houdini
• Houdini's Needles pin down $2,574
• The time Houdini swallowed needles...for real

LINK: HHCE highlights from Magic Collector Expo

Our friend Joe Notaro has a full report on this year's Magic Collector Expo, with all the Houdini highlights. Click the headline or the image below to have a read of Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence.

Related:

• Magic Collector Expo 2024 aboard the Queen Mary
• A five star Magic Collector Expo in Cleveland
• LINK: HHCE highlights from Magic Collector Expo (2025)

LINK: Ask Vance: Harry Houdini in Memphis

Why is Houdini’s name engraved on a brass star outside the Orpheum in Memphis? Don't ask me, Ask Vance! Click the headline or image below for the answer.

Related:

• Ashley Drew discovers Houdini in Memphis (update)
• Houdini hangs in Memphis (the first time)
• Houdini in Memphis

Bonkers About Bessie!

Our friend Dean Carnegie at The Magic Detective Podcast has an episode devoted to Bess Houdini. Some stories here I've not heard. Enjoy.

Dean also has a lengthy post about Bess on his Magic Detective blog: The Life of Bessie Houdini. As Dean says, we're "Bonkers About Bessie" for this month! 

Related:

• Dean Carnegie dials in Houdini's Radio of 1950
• Dean Carnegie on Tony Curtis, The Other Houdini
• Magic Detective Podcast: The Houdini Wonder Show

LINK: The House Where Houdini Stayed Was Disappearing… Not Anymore

Here's a terrific post by our friend Scott Markus at What's YOUR Ghost Story? about the current state of the house in Delavan, Wisconsin, that belonged to the Flitcroft family. Click the headline or the image below to have a read.

In the article, Scott says he couldn't confirm that Houdini visited the house in 1908. Well, I can confirm it. The date was February 17, 1908 (a day later than what I reported in my 2021 post). It was part of an adventurous journey for Harry and Bess that I will cover in my upcoming book, Handcuff King: The Conquests of Harry Houdini, 1900-1909.

Thank you, Scott!

Related:

• Mrs. Flitcroft day
• Homeless Houdini
• Mystifier, Second Quarter 1994

LINK: Skeptics Dictionary and the Arthur Ford hoax

Here's a nice, quick reference summary of the Arthur Ford Houdini message scandal. This is something I've never quite covered in detail here on the blog, so when I find something that can provide the basic story, I'm happy to pass it along. Click the headline or the image below to go.

Related:

• The Margery Files: Inside man
• Bill Rauscher on Arthur Ford and the Houdini Code
• The Magic Detective starts Season 6 with a double dose of Houdini

LINK: Brad Ricca takes readers on a magical, historical mystery tour

The Land has a nice profile today of author Brad Ricca and his new book, Lincoln's Ghost: Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency. Click the headline or image below to have a read.

Tomorrow, March 19, Brad will be doing a reading and signing of the book at the Coventry Library in Cleveland. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

You can purchase Lincoln's Ghost: Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Related:

• Lincoln's Ghost by Brad Ricca released today
• Houdini Lincoln cover story in Skeptical Inquirer
• Guest blog: Mr. Houdini Goes to Washington, Part I

Filming Houdini in Vancouver

The Vancouver Sun has a nice post remembering Houdini's suspended straitjacket escape in the city in 1923. There are some choice photos from the collection of W.J. Moore at the Vancouver Public Library, including one that captures a film crew on an elaborate platform filming the stunt. We've seen film of Houdini doing suspended straitjacket escapes, but rarely do we see who was taking those films!

W.J. Moore Vancouver Archives

We also get this gem:

Film of the escape was shown that night at the Orpheum, where Houdini headed up a vaudeville bill. Houdini came out into the audience to watch the film with them.

“The film was evidently pleasing to the magician,” said The Sun. “At its conclusion, he faced the audience with a smile of satisfaction, exclaiming, ‘Isn’t that a wonderful crowd!'”

CLICK HERE to read then full article and see all the pics at the Vancouver Sun.

Related:

• Canada's Magic follows Houdini in Vancouver
• Lost Foote Photos - Houdini in Winnipeg
• Houdini's Suspended Straitjacket escapes

LINK: Dunninger tells dramatic stories about Houdini’s Death

Our friend Joe Notaro has added the October 26, 1952 Parade Magazine to his collection. This issue contains an article about Houdini and Joe Dunninger by Hy Gardner. Many wild tales here, but are any of them true? This one is a must-read, so click on over to Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence.

Related:

• Hear Dunninger inventory his Houdini collection
• Deconstructing Houdini '53: Main titles
• New Dunninger book released

LINK: Houdini and the Weed Chain Tire Company

Here's a terrific post on The Autopian about the Weed Chain Tire Company and their famous challenge to Houdini in 1908. Click the headline or the image below to read "Harry Houdini Once Escaped From Eight Tire Chains, Two Steel Car Wheels, And A Crapload Of Padlocks."

 

I'm impressed they were aware of the Weed Chain rematch. Not many people know that Houdini did this challenge twice.

Related:

• The Weed Chain Tire Grip challenge
• The Weed Chain rematch
• Houdini pitchbook with Weed Chain cover nabs $1,230

Help unlock Houdini's voice

Want to hear one minute of Houdini audio that has never been released to the public? You can make that happen NOW by becoming a patron. The post below is open to everybody and explains the deal.

Related:

• Want to hear unreleased Houdini voice?
• ALL the Houdini wax cylinder audio has been saved!
• Announcing WILD ABOUT HARRY on Patreon

LINK: Hanging with Harry: Revisiting one of Houdini’s stops in Grand Rapids

Here's a nice article by Matt Jaworowski at WOOD TV about Houdini's suspended straitjacket escape in Grand Rapids on November 29, 1916. Click the headline or the image below to have a read.

While Houdini's 1916 Grand Rapids appearance is the most celebrated, the city was a regular stop during his struggling years. "The Houdinis" were very popular at Smith's Opera House and generally treated as stars. So it's fair to say Grand Rapids was one of the first cities to embrace the Handcuff King. (You can read more about Houdini's early Grand Rapids appearances in Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899.)

Related:

• Grand Rapids suspended straitjacket escape date?
• Houdini's Suspended Straitjacket escapes
• You can now own Houdini's first diary

LINK: Decades after the 'final' seance, hundreds still hope to contact Harry Houdini

Here's a nice article by Brianna Morris-Grant at ABC Australia, which ran on October 30. It quotes me, so I'm returning the favor! Click the headline or the image below to read.

Related:

• Halloween 1936: The Final Houdini Seance
• Inside The Official Houdini Séance 2025
• The secret origins of the annual Houdini Seance

LINK: The Cancer of Superstition reviewed

Our friend Michelle Ainsworth recently reviewed The Cancer of Superstition for the Skeptical Inquirer website. Click the headline or image below to read.

Purchase The Cancer of Superstition exclusively from 1878 Press Co.

Related:

• Read 'The Cancer of Superstition' TODAY
• The Cancer of Superstition is FOUND!
• Houdini Lincoln cover story in Skeptical Inquirer

Where Houdini took his Water Torture Cell photos

We are all familiar with the famous photos of Houdini doing his Water Torture Cell. When and where these photos were taken has, to my knowledge, never been identified. But I think I may have finally found the answer.

I'm sharing this one on my Patreon as a History Exclusive. Click the image below to view it and 43 other similar discoveries. Lucky patrons!

Related:

• A warning from Houdini
• The Water Torture Cell at 100
• Houdini Torture Cell photo escapes with $889