Today in History

October 31, 1926

The Death of Harry Houdini

On this day in 1926, the world-famous magician and illusionist Harry Houdini died of peritonitis from a burst appendix. The 52-year-old Houdini had been in considerable pain for many days beforehand, performing despite a fever of over 102° Fahrenheit. During his final show, Houdini fainted halfway through and was revived, only to continue to the finale and reluctantly agreeing to go to the hospital. Houdini had remained optimistic that he would recover until the end, when his last words would be, "I'm tired of fighting."

After his death, Houdini's wife Bess waited for an agreed upon sign from him of the existence of a world beyond, but the sign never came, cementing the couple's beliefs that communication with the dead was impossible. These beliefs during his life had estranged him from a famous friend at the time, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a firm believer in the supernatural.

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