![]() ![]() ![]() The honored guest was Houdini, who was in town debunking spiritualists at the Majestic Theatre and promoting his latest silent film. Vernon was visiting Chicago for the Society of American Magicians gathering at the Great Northern Hotel. ![]() Some of the conjurers used elaborate setups, but Vernon challenged Houdini with nothing more than a blue-backed deck of Aristocrat playing cards. Houdini had an enviable reputation as a card manipulator, and after diversifying into escape artistry, he had begun a third career exposing so-called “spirit mediums,” conjurers and seers. He bragged he could figure out any illusion he saw three times, and he repeatedly proved second and third demonstrations unnecessary. Houdini, 47, was not only the world’s most famous magician but also its most famous debunker. The bold gambit was one of the most storied events in the modern history of magic. 6, 1922, 27-year-old magician Dai Vernon broke this rule before the toughest of audiences: Harry Houdini. But the magician who gives his audience a second chance to catch him out always slips up eventually, especially if the audience includes an eagle-eyed fellow magician. The temptation can be excruciating: The trick has already proven its ability to fool, and the audience has proven its susceptibility. The most important rule of magic - other than remembering to check for rabbit-droppings before putting your hat back on - is never to perform the same illusion twice on the same occasion. ![]() Hand of Fate – Card trick that stumped the great Harry Houdini June 13, 2011 ![]()
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