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The history of magic is filled with colorful characters, from Harry Houdini to the Little Man of Nuremberg. In this episode of The List Show, Erin shares fun facts about magic history, from magic-hating monarchs to the history of stage magic as an art form.
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14 Facts About Magic | Mental Floss
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0:00
It's 1885 in a crowded, dimly lit theater
0:03
Three large men from the audience hold a chair to the ground, as they've been instructed to do
0:08
A teenage girl who goes by the name Georgia Wonder approaches. She supposedly gained superpowers in an electrical storm
0:14
As a contemporary account describes it, Georgia deftly touches the chair, and it began to jump about in the most extraordinary manner
0:21
in spite of all the efforts of three or four strong men to keep it still or hold it down
0:25
The crowd goes wild. Hi, I'm Erin McCarthy, editor-in-chief of mentalfloss.com, and this is The List Show
0:31
Georgia Wonder, aka Lulu Hurst, is just one of many stage illusionists from history who
0:36
entertained the masses by seemingly defying the laws of nature. In Hurst's case, it was actually
0:40
a combination of showmanship, storytelling, and, as popular mechanics described it, an advanced understanding of the pivot and fulcrum theorem of physics
0:48
This photo breaks down the pivot points that Lulu uses to manipulate the men's own weight
0:53
against them. But if using real-life science to convince thousands of people that you have superpowers
0:57
isn't a form of magic, I don't know what is. Today we're covering fun and fantastical facts from the history of magic
1:04
Let's get started! Did it work? One of the oldest confirmed accounts of stage magic dates back to at least the first century
1:20
CE, and it's most likely a trick you've seen before. The cup and balls illusion, where objects are placed under cups and appear to switch
1:25
locations, vanish, and or reappear at will, was performed by ancient Roman conjurers
1:31
It can be a fun illusion, but it has a more nefarious history as a gambling game and con
1:36
Since practitioners of the trick can swiftly and often seamlessly move the balls around
1:40
it became an easy way to swindle money out of people who thought they could figure out
1:43
where a ball was going to end up. This painting from around 1502 by Hieronymus Bosch depicts the trick being performed to
1:49
an intrigued audience, but if you look closely, you can see that a plant is stealing a coin
1:54
purse from a distracted onlooker. This dastardly reputation stuck with illusionists for centuries
1:59
The oldest known magic book in English dates all the way back to 1584
2:03
The discovery of witchcraft was written by Reginald Scott as a kind of skeptical expose
2:07
of the occult arts. It takes a firm stance that prosecuting people for witchcraft is irrational and specifically
2:13
unchristian This ticked off a lot of people including noted witchcraft believer and hater James the Sixth of Scotland It said that he ordered a majority of the first editions of the book burnt when he became James I of England
2:25
While that's almost certainly a myth, it does point to a real disdain James had toward the
2:28
book and its witchcraftifying ways. King James actually wrote his own book on witchcraft, where he condemned the damnable
2:34
opinions of Scott. The discovery of witchcraft contains a section on illusion and stage magic
2:40
It's meant to dispel the idea that any real magic is going on, and to help prevent people
2:44
from getting swindled. It included diagrams that broke down common stage tricks, like the decollation
2:49
of John the Baptist delusion. According to the title page of the 1651 edition of Discovery of
2:54
Witchcraft, the book aims to fully decipher the knavery and confederacy of conjurers
2:59
the impious blasphemy of enchanters, and, of course, the horrible art of poisoning and all
3:04
the tricks and conveyances of juggling and ledgerdomain. Juggling, by the way, was basically
3:08
the contemporary term for what we call magic today. The person who practiced it was a juggler
3:12
But what the heck is a ledgerdomain? Back in the 15th century, this phrase was used to describe fast-fingered illusionists
3:19
It comes from Middle French and literally means light of hand. When it was adopted by the English, they smooshed together le jeu de main into one word and
3:26
made it a noun. It was an alternative to a phrase that most of us are still familiar with today, sleight
3:31
of hand. Sleight of hand, by the way, makes use of the word sleight, which is actually derived from
3:35
an Old Norse word that means sly. Sly of hand makes a lot more sense
3:40
Isaac Fox, the sleight of hand man, was a popular showman in the early 1700s
3:45
He was often satirized for practicing what was considered a lowbrow art
3:50
Painter and critic William Hogarth often mocked his show and scorned local audiences' taste
3:53
for a stage debauched by fooleries. Fox, undeterred, publicly trumpeted his financial success, bragging about putting 700 pounds
4:01
into the bank—a convincing argument for artistic merit, if I've ever heard one
4:06
Another memorable figure of the 17th and 18th century magic scene was Matthias Bukinga
4:10
known as the Little Man of Nuremberg. Bukinga was born without hands or feet and stood only 29
4:15
inches tall. He performed many feats and illusions, including the famous cups and balls routine
4:21
Adelaide Hermann, known as the Queen of Magic, was one of the rising female stars of the late
4:25
19th century. Originally the assistant and wife of famed magician Alexander Hermann
4:30
she continued performing as a star in her own right after his death She was one of few magicians to ever perform the infamous bullet catch trick which involved well I think you can guess If you looking for old stage magic advice don worry there plenty of material
4:44
Take, for instance, 1634's Hocus Pocus Jr., The Anatomy of Leder Domain, or The Art of
4:49
Juggling Set Forth in His Proper Colors, Fully, Plainly and Exactly, so that an ignorant person
4:54
may thereby learn the full perfection of the same after a little practice. Could have used a spell to make some of that title disappear
5:00
Anyway, some of the book's suggestions include, first, he must be one of a bold and audacious
5:05
spirit. Secondly, he must have a nimble and cleanly conveyance. Third, he must have strange
5:11
terms and emphatical words. Fourthly, such gesture of body as may lead away the spectator's eyes from
5:18
his strict and diligent beholding his manner of conveyance. If you asked Harry Keller, a famous
5:22
19th century illusionist, his advice includes a perfectly ordered and practically automatic memory
5:27
and a knowledge of a number of languages. The more, the better
5:32
Jean-Eugène Robert Houdon offered some focused counsel. To succeed as a conjurer
5:36
three things are essential. First, dexterity. Second, dexterity. And third, dexterity. If the name Jean-Eugène Robert Houdon is ringing any magical bells, that's because the influential
5:47
French illusionist was the inspiration for the stage name of one Eric Weiss, otherwise known as
5:52
Harry Houdini. But we'll get to him in a minute. Let's talk about Robert Houdon, who is often
5:57
credited as the father of modern theatrical illusion. Jean-Eugène Robert was born in Bleu
6:01
of France in 1805. He began pursuing a career as a watchmaker, which was the family business
6:07
until he caught the magic bug. He married Joseph-Cécile Houdon, hyphenated his name
6:11
and eventually opened his own space in the Palais Royal. The venue was much classier than most people
6:17
were used to for stage magic, which was more often associated with carnivals than legitimate theaters
6:22
Robert-Houdon is also noted for performing in a normal evening suit. Rather than the exuberant
6:26
robes or elaborate costumes that many magicians at the time would wear on stage
6:30
Robert Houdon's magic act made an immediate impression on audiences. It incorporated
6:34
meticulously rehearsed illusions, mentalism, and notably, the use of electricity and robotic
6:40
automatons that he had built. I guess those clockmaking skills came in handy after all
6:44
One of his automatons even caught the eye of circus legend P.T. Barnum, who purchased it in
6:48
1844 Robert Houdon magic was so well that he was even asked by the government of France to go on a magical mission to Algeria Yeah those words just came out of my mouth In the colonized area local religious leaders called marabouts were using magic of their own to impress and influence tribes Robert Houdon job was to go show that French
7:06
magic was superior, and apparently he succeeded. Then one day a young man by the name of Eric
7:11
decided to pay homage to the great magician by naming himself Houdini. Houdini wrote that the
7:15
extra eye was used because he thought that it would give his stage name the meaning like Houdon
7:19
in French. Some historians think it was a tribute to other magicians whose names ended in I
7:24
and it does have a certain undeniable flair. Whatever the exact origin, over the rest of his
7:29
life, Harry Houdini would solidify his standing as one of the most influential illusionists in
7:33
history. Today I just want to focus on one part of the Houdini story—his inexplicable turn against
7:38
his former hero. In 1908, Harry Houdini published The Unmasking of Robert Houdin, a scathing book
7:45
book that dissected many of Robert Houdon's tricks and attacked him for his supreme egotism
7:50
Some of the chapters in the book include the narrowness of Robert Houdon's memoirs and Robert
7:54
Houdon's ignorance of magic as betrayed by his own pen. In one section, he calls Robert Houdon a
8:00
mere pretender, a man who waxed great on the brainwork of others. Ouch. Houdini's sudden
8:05
disloyalty to his own namesake might seem shocking, but some believe it's actually a reflection of his
8:10
own insecurities as a performer. One writer for PBS put it like this
8:14
It can also be seen as the need to elevate himself at the expense of any competitors
8:19
even those from the past. But given that the two men shared so much more than a name
8:24
perhaps it was Houdini's way of responding, in a way his ego and psyche would allow
8:29
to the very criticisms so often leveled at him. The late 19th and early 20th century was marked
8:33
by stage magicians who transformed the art form. Harry Keller, Howard Thurston
8:38
and Harry Blackstone put on big theatrical magic shows, all of which had incredible posters
8:43
The Magic Circle was formed in 1905, and the International Brotherhood of Magicians was
8:47
formed in 1922. Both organizations were performers across the globe. Or male performers, rather
8:53
Women weren't allowed in the Magic Circle until 1991. Doug Henning appeared on Broadway in the 70s, reintroducing stage illusion to mainstream
9:00
audiences. Stage magic hit television, conquered Las Vegas, and made its way to Hogwarts
9:05
Okay, that last one is not true, but I couldn't do a whole episode on magic and not mention
9:09
Harry Potter once
#education