APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Famous Appletonian Harry Houdini was born 148 years ago on Thursday.
Despite his claims during his life, Houdini was not born in Appleton on April 6, 1874. He was born in Budapest, Hungary, as Ehrich Weiss, on March 24, 1874.
According to the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton, evidence indicates the Weiss family came to Appleton when Ehrich was a toddler. His father, Mayer Samuel Weiss, became Appleton’s first rabbi. The family had left Appleton by the time Ehrich was 9; however, as an adult, Houdini referred to Appleton as his hometown.
Appleton is full of tributes to the magician who became world-famous. Houdini Plaza in downtown Appleton is named for him. The History Museum at the Castle includes the exhibit “AKA Houdini,” where visitors can learn more about his life and try some of his illusions and escapes. The “Metamorphosis” sculpture commemorating Houdini’s escape from a chained box is displayed along Lawe Street, near the area where Houdini nearly drowned in the Fox River as a child.
Houdini died of peritonitis resulting from a ruptured appendix on Halloween 1926. It has never been proven whether a punch to the stomach from a college student contributed to Houdini’s death.
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