Harry Houdini is probably the most famous magician on Earth, who earned his fame through impressive stunts that, among other tricks, were challenging and placed him between life and death. He was also known for keeping many of his secrets to himself, which is part of the essence of this type of magicians; if it were public knowledge how they perform their tricks and stunts, then they would lose their best weapon to amaze and astonish their audience, since anyone could reproduce them.
However, Houdini ignored this rule during the WWI. He started his magic shows for American soldiers. In addition to entertaining them, he also dedicated himself to giving them special classes in which he would teach them how to free themselves from handcuffs, ropes and all kinds of objects with which they could bind their hands.
When it came to freeing oneself from difficult situations, Houdini was the go-to expert for handcuffs or shackles, which was an especially useful skill during the war in case soldiers were caught by the Germans. During his acts, the magician used to hide a key in a false finger or in places he could reach with his teeth, which allowed him to escape and, for the soldiers, to save their lives, particularly when he taught how to free himself from the German model of handcuffs.
On the other hand, the stunts that involved diving and escaping underwater served to teach U.S. soldiers how to escape from sinking ships. For example, it is said that Houdini explained that the main reason people could not escape from these ships was because they lost their sense of direction, so they had to wait for their bodies to float until they touched some part of the ships that would allow them to locate themselves and surface.
Furthermore, the book The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero by William Kalush and Larry Sloman, describes how Houdini also worked as a spy for the United Kingdom’s secret service, leaking important information about royalty and prominent politicians in Europe, particularly the Central Powers.
In this way, Houdini became one of the heroes and greatest contributors to the Great War, because in addition to his training of soldiers or his work as a spy, he also raised money for the Allies.
This story was originally published in Spanish by Cultura Colectiva.
