Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini was a famous escape artist in the early 20th century, from about 1900 until the mid 1920's, and was the highest paid performer in what was known as vaudeville for many years. He was born Erik Weisz in Hungary, and his family, which included his father, Rabbi Weisz, moved to Appleton, Wisconsin and then New York City, changing their names to Weiss. He started out trying to be a magician, but around 1900 was convinced to focus on escape, and he toured Europe, challenging police departments to lock him up and see if he couldn't get out of any kind of handcuffs, locks, or binding. He was very successful in getting out of various enclosures, and never failed to impress audiences with his ability to escape anything. His wife Bess served as his assistant for most of his performances. He became a celebrity and eventually used his power to be a leader of the magic community and to debunk spiritualists who had falsely claimed some occult connection to the dead or the powers of the universe. He lived most of his life and died in New York City, where his gravesite is being restored.

___ 1. What do we know about Erik Weisz and Harry Houdini?
a. they are different names for the same person
b. Mr. Weisz is a magician but Mr. Houdini is an escape artist
c. Mr. Weisz is more successful than Mr. Houdini
d. Mr. Weisz died before Mr. Houdini became famous

___ 2. When he performed in Europe, what were the police supposed to do?
a. ignore him
b. try to imprison him
c. get him to leave town
d. collect the money for his performances

___ 3. What did his wife do during his performances?
a. she became a celebrity
b. she helped him
c. she collected the money
d. she impressed audiences

___ 4. Which was NOT a place where Houdini lived?
a. Hungary
b. Appleton, Wisconsin
c. Europe
d. New York City