Image by Getty Images

Even a century after his death, the name Harry Houdini is synonymous with escapology, but less is known about his first great escape – how he left his Hungarian home as a child.

The House of Houdini, a museum in Budapest’s historic Castle district, seeks to shed light on the illusionist’s roots with a display of memorabilia and a research team tracking down documents about his life.

“He was, of course, the greatest escape artist history ever had… but I believe his secret lies from deep inside from his Hungarian roots, when as a poor Jewish family they escaped Hungary,” museum founder David Merlini said.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

He went on to become the most famous escape artist of his day, captivating massive audiences with his daring escapes. He died in 1926 from a ruptured appendix.

The museum displays Houdini’s handcuffs and other artifacts, many photographs about his life and performances, and also a Bible from 1883, which belonged to his family.

“We are all a little bit Houdinis because everybody has a secret dream that is just waiting to be fulfilled,” Merlini said.—Reuters

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount