3 Reasons Houdini Was Way More Badass Than You Think

3

He Escaped from a Sea Monster

By 1911, Houdini was one of the biggest names in the world, renowned for his "challenge escape act," which was pretty much what it sounds like -- he would accept any escape challenge his audience presented to him. Normally this wasn't a problem, because your average wage worker wasn't likely to show up to a Houdini show with any restraints more complicated than a pair of handcuffs or a pillowcase. However, a group of Boston businessmen decided to bring something totally crazy to the table and challenged Houdini to escape from a large sea creature that had recently washed up in Boston Harbor.

Smithsonian Magazine
Seen here.

2

He Settled Disputes With Shit-Kickings and Arson

Houdini was not a fan of his imitators. He routinely appeared at rivals' shows to shame them for attempting his act (and occasionally troll the shit out of them with inescapable handcuffs), and he sometimes sent his younger, face-punchier brother Theo to make plagiarists apologize to the toes of his wingtips.

You don't mess with a man who wears a vest like that out in public.

If that didn't get the message across, Houdini was more than happy to literally burn motherfuckers to the ground. According to Theo, Houdini once set fire to a competitor's performing space after the delightfully silly bastard claimed to be better than Houdini at escapology. Houdini later expressed some remorse, but only because he might've inadvertently harmed some animals involved in the man's act.

1

He Was Basically a Crazy Stuntman

There was no television or Internet back at the turn of the century, so if you wanted people to come to your shows, you really had to be good at tireless self-promotion. Houdini loved generating publicity for his performances, and one of the ways he would do this was to strip completely naked and get voluntarily thrown in prison, from which he would then escape (because as we all know, the very best magic involves jail and male nudity). He even subjected himself to voluntary cavity searches so the public would know that he wasn't hiding any lock picks or keys anywhere on his body.

Wild About Houdini
"... uh, Harry, we're done with the search. Feel free to put your pants back on."