2. Harry Houdini
Let me just clarify first that the only reason Houdini isn’t wearing the crown is because he died in 1926 and I decided that a living magician should hold the title. However, this escape-artist from Hungary set the bar for magicians around the world in the 20th century, and his frequent use of locks, ropes, and shackles earned him the title of “Handcuff King”. With no TV ads to gain fame, Houdini travelled from town to town, asking the jails to hold him prisoner so he could demonstrate his talent for escaping. His strategy worked, and today, extraordinary magic artists (like some of the ones we have mentioned) are coined as “modern day Houdini’s”.
