The punch did occur, but scholars think it probably did not cause the appendicitis.) Houdini’s 1924 book A Magician Among the Spirits looked skeptically at the spiritualists of the day.
(Another legend has it that Houdini’s death was caused by an overeager fan, who ruptured Houdini’s appendix with a surprise punch to the stomach. It was concluded that his death was due to. Houdini died in 1926, reportedly due to peritonitis after his appendix ruptured the legend that he died during a failed escape is untrue. Whitehead reportedly continued hitting Houdini several times afterwards and he acted as though he was in some pain. His skills and showmanship made the single name “Houdini” synonymous with entertaining magic he is often credited with influencing later magicians from David Copperfield to David Blaine.
(He once jumped into San Francisco Bay while handcuffed and shackled to a ball and chain.) In an era before TV, Harry Houdini became world famous by barnstorming across America and around the globe. His specialty was escapes: slipping out of ropes, chains and handcuffs while locked in trunks and milk cans or submerged underwater. Harry Houdini was the most influential magician of the 20th century.
