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Making a big splash in the Charles
By adamg on Sat, 07/31/2010 - 12:03pm
On April 30, 1908, Harry Houdini walked from a nearby hotel to the Harvard Bridge, where he had himself chained up before he jumped into the still frigid Charles River. From The Amazing Harry Houdini:
"But aren't you even afraid, Mr. Houdini?" one of the reporters shouted to him. "Afraid?" Houdini asked with a loud laugh. "What do I have to fear? I am the King of Handcuffs. Nothing can hold me!"
And, of course, he eventually surfaced - after the assembled throng of some 10,000 began to fear he had drowned. That night, he appeared as scheduled at Keith's Theatre on Washington Street.
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Comments
looks tall in that photo
He looks so tall in that photo, but he was supposed to be about 5'5". That might make that woman behind him what 4'6"?
Great photo! I've always
Great photo! I've always wondered about the Houdini plaque at the Mass Ave./Beacon end of the bridge...
Houdini plaque
Here's a photo of said plaque commemorating the feat. This is on the Boston side of the bridge, right above the ramp going up from the Esplanade to the bridge, near the Storrow Drive offramp.
Houdini or Whendini?
Plaque says May 1 but story above says April 3. Why can't history be easy?
April 30, sorry!
How did I leave that zero off? Ugh! Obviously, 4/30's a lot closer to 5/1 :-).
Photo?
Where's a photo of said plaque?
The Phoenix has a copy
I dunno - Google it?
http://cache.thephoenix.com/secure/uploadedImages/...
Sorry
Ah - when you wrote "Here's a photo of said plaque commemorating the feat," I thought you meant you were posting a link to a photo you had taken.
Did he break those chains?
Looks to me like he was as strong as an ox. I always thought that these tricks were fake but, even if they are/were, it looks like it must also take a lot of physical strength/stamina to do them.
Many of his accomplishments
Many of his accomplishments required 'tricks' that made his escapes much easier than the audience was aware of, but he was in superb physical condition.
His "tricks" weren't really
His "tricks" were an intimate knowledge of locks and knots, superb physical conditioning and strength, and meticulous preparation and practice.
He would swallow a key,
He would swallow a key, regurgitate it, get himself out in seconds, and then sit around ten minutes letting the audience get worked up. That's a 'trick.'