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> One of Houdini's best tricks was the volume of muscle he had, which was intentionally larger than any bone mass that would obstruct the removal of any constra
by OV-104 10y ago
> One of Houdini's best tricks was the volume of muscle he had, which was intentionally larger than any bone mass that would obstruct the removal of any constraint applied to him. He simply tense up as the constraint was applied, then relax after he was hidden from the public's all seeing eye.
Super interesting. Was his muscle volume from working out and special training or more so just genetics?
- saycheese 10y agoIt was well known he did this, though I've never seen any specific ways he set out to accomplish this. My guess is it wasn't intentional to start, but something he noticed and refined over the years via practice; Harry himself disclosed very little about how he practiced, but he was known to practice all the time. Houdini's famed strength indirectly also lead to his death: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini#Death https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini#Death
- OV-104 10y agoStrength, and hubris.
- tossaway1 10y agoHubris? Sounds like he was assaulted.
- LukeShu 10y agoThe 3rd-to-last and 2nd-to-last paragraphs of the section do seem to suggest some hubris; not seeking medical attention despite constant pain and fever, ignoring medical advice that he needed immediate surgery and continuing to perform.
- rangibaby 10y agoI don't think the quality of medical was quite was it now, even after WWI. For example, remember that antibiotics hadn't been discovered yet.