Google is today celebrating what would be the 137th birthday of legendary illusionist Harry Houdini with a doodle similar to the posters that announced Houdini’s magic acts.
Houdini was born as Erik Weisz in Budapest, Hungary in 1874, but his family moved to Wisconsin shortly thereafter. Houdini started out as an illusionist and a circus act at a very early age, but he gained notoriety for his escape acts, in which he was able to escape handcuffs, shackles, chains and straightjackets.
Perhaps the most well-known Houdini stunt was his escape from the Chinese Water Torture Cell, in which he would escape a water tank while suspended upside down and shackled, while holding his breath for 3 minutes. The exact nature of Houdini’s torture cell and the way in which he escaped is still a mystery.
Houdini died due to complications after a ruptured appendix in 1926. His name is still synonymous with escaping from extremely tough situations
