The trick that stopped a war?

[MagicShadow9]

Well in my Histoy class, we're getting close to World War I and i know that Houdini lived curing that time. And since my History teacher knows i do magic (cuz i do it before class alot) i'm certain that he will ask me about the trick that stopped a war. I've only heard of this trick and i know nothing about it except that it involves a chest. So for those of you who know about this, can you please tell me more about it? Because i don't wanna look like an idiot when i my teacher asks me about it and i don't know anything.

 

[Ben Long]

Well, there is the performance by Robert-Houdin that stopped an uprising in the French colonies, but that was in 1856...

 

[BRodgers]

You are correct. This happened long before WWI. And it was done by Robert-Houdin.

Actually it wasn't much of a war, but a fight. All these shaman people were doing all this VooDoo stuff. So they sent Robert-Houdin over to settle the nonsense in Algeria. So now he had 2 choices. . . expose them, or show them up. And he took the obvious path by showing him up.

He had an apple stuck on the end of a sword and said "fire at me and I'll catch it in the apple", they do and he catches it. The Shamans don't seem to care though. So he says to fire again, but before he grabs the sword, they fire, and BOOM, he catches it in his teeth. Now they were freaked.

But the trick that really stopped the war was the light and heavy chest. He said that he was so powerful that he could weaken even the most strongest/toughest men.

Robert-Houdin's performance of this and the alleged performance of the duel with the Marabout seemed to be the end of the rebellion. However, if you look at later history, it didn't stop the war. That war continued for a long time. Some feel that it is still going on.

Here's a link to an article on the subject by Teller.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE6D81E39F93BA25757C0A96F958260

This information was obtained from various sources.

 

[Riddick]

Check out what Jasper Maskelyne did in war.

 

[dejavu05]

You are correct. This happened long before WWI. And it was done by Robert-Houdin.

Actually it wasn't much of a war, but a fight. All these shaman people were doing all this VooDoo stuff. So they sent Robert-Houdin over to settle the nonsense in Algeria. So now he had 2 choices. . . expose them, or show them up. And he took the obvious path by showing him up.

He had an apple stuck on the end of a sword and said "fire at me and I'll catch it in the apple", they do and he catches it. The Shamans don't seem to care though. So he says to fire again, but before he grabs the sword, they fire, and BOOM, he catches it in his teeth. Now they were freaked.

But the trick that really stopped the war was the light and heavy chest. He said that he was so powerful that he could weaken even the most strongest/toughest men.

Robert-Houdin's performance of this and the alleged performance of the duel with the Marabout seemed to be the end of the rebellion. However, if you look at later history, it didn't stop the war. That war continued for a long time. Some feel that it is still going on.

Here's a link to an article on the subject by Teller.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE6D81E39F93BA25757C0A96F958260

This information was obtained from various sources.

Wow thats great information! Thanks!

P.S. I know I am not the one needing to explain it to his teacher but it was still very interesting.

 

[Brad Henderson]

Check out what Jasper Maskelyne did in war.

The Maskelyne claims have been fairly soundly disputed by magic historian Richard Stokes.

Brad Henderson

 

[Randy]

I don't think Houdini would be the type to try and stop a war. He probably felt he had better things to do and plus I doubt a guy escaping from ropes or a straight jacket would stop a war or anything.

 

[Shades fan]

If you have the AoA books, it gives you the history on it, but it also has Light and Heavy Dime trick which you could preform for him.

 

[voe]

Of interest, Houdini DID in fact, train many U.S. Serviceman on how to escape handcuffs and also did work as a spy for The U.S. in WWI.

There is also a decent amount of evidence that a lot of Houdini's traveling and performances were to scout out foreign prisons and figure out their weaknesses.

Also, Houdin's (not Houdini's) kicker when doing the bullet catch was when a bullet hit the outside wall of a building behind him and the wall began to bleed.

 

[adjones]

Also, Houdin's (not Houdini's) kicker when doing the bullet catch was when a bullet hit the outside wall of a building behind him and the wall began to bleed.

Actually, I believe it was a can of white paint, not the wall.

 

[nexusmagic]

Houdini great magician.

 

[voe]

Actually, I believe it was a can of white paint, not the wall.

No, it was a wall.

Houdin's memoir is readily available for free online as it is public domain.