Harry Houdini is considered the most influential and notable magician in the art of magic and escapism. His life was marked by countless events, many of which made history in the eyes of citizens of the world. Houdini was a fascinating character, always pushing the boundary between life and death. Today, he is known around the world for his many impossible and life-changing feats. Ehrich Weiss, later named Harry Houdini, was born in Budapest, Hungary on March 24, 1874. His parents were Cecilia Steiner and Mayer Samuel Weiss, a serious lawyer. Ehrich was the brother of seven other siblings. It was a wealthy family, who never had to worry. When Ehrich was just four years old, he and his family moved to the United States, eventually settling in Appleton, Wisconsin. Later, Houdini always claimed that this city was his real birthplace, but people knew that was simply not true. It was in this town that Ehrich began to be nicknamed "Ehrie", which later became Harry. After a little over 4 years of living in Appleton, the family moved to Milwaukee, where they were quite poor due to Harry's father losing his job. Harry quickly became intrigued by British circus performers and began to take an interest in acrobatics and athletics. He started wanting more. Getting a job as a tie cutter, Harry attended as many theater performances as his salary allowed. He began participating in local sporting events and even became a member of the Pastime Athletics Club. It is said that Houdini even tried out to make the US Olympic team for various skills he possessed. It was during this time that Harry discovered the art of magic. The Memoirs of Robert Houdin would be the book that made Houdini fall in love with...... middle of paper ......ave Houdini a challenge. It was about escaping a pair of impossible handcuffs which apparently took a Birmingham locksmith seven years to complete. Accepting the challenge, Houdini dramatically escaped from handcuffs in just 90 consecutive minutes. To this day, people still can't understand how he did it. “Works Cited” Cox, John. "Biography." Crazy about Harry. Np.. The canvas. November 13, 2013. "Harry Houdini" Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. November 12, 2013. Harry, Houdini. “Inside the icons.” Liberty: stories never die. Np, November 25, 1925.Web. November 13, 2013. .Mullin, Rita. Harry Houdini: Death-Defying Showman. Sterling Biographies, 2008. Print. Wilmeth, Don B. “Houdini, Harry.” Advanced World Book. world book, 2013.