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MDX Redbeat

A Day of Magic and Mystery

The 31st of October  costumes, candy, a little creepiness here and there, who doesn’t love it? Halloween is a universally adored festival. But with all this excitement around, people usually forget another event held today that can be just as fun – World Magic Day! 

Imager depicts an individual floating a playing card with one hand while holding a large deck on another, resembling a magic show. Image credits: Pexels. 

The use of magic for entertainment goes back 52,000 years. However, it got extremely popular in the 1920s when people would flock to magic shows and hold séances to get a hold of the dead, most of them ready to believe anything in the backdrop of war and loss of their loved ones. Everyone wanted a little levity to distract from the drudgery and depression, and magic shows delivered on that front. 

The great magician Harry Houdini came into renown during this period. He was a master escape artist. When he died on 31 October 1926, it was declared to be ‘Houdini Day’. As the years passed, Houdini day became a day for magicians to show off their talents to eager audiences. It gradually became a day to celebrate all magic, turning it into the World Magic Day we know today.

Harry Houdini performs his act, Metamorphosis with his wife Beth. Image credits: harlembespoke.blogspot.com

By all accounts, Harry Houdini was not a great magician at first. He didn’t even believe in magic! Once he found his niche, Houdini became a household name for the daring and mysterious escape artistry he performed. 

His most famous act was called ‘Metamorphosis’, which he used to perform with his wife, Bess. In the illusion, Houdini was bound before being put into a small crate that was then locked shut. Bess would stand atop the crate and pull a curtain up to cover her from the view of the audience; when she dropped the curtain though, Bess was no longer there and instead it was Houdini. The crate was then unlocked, and Bess was found to be bound inside. The entire transformation took seconds.

Houdini’s career inspired aspiring magicians for generations, one of whom is the most famous magician of our time, David Copperfield. His brand of magic is decidedly different though. He deals in illusions. The most popular trick he performed was making the Statue of Liberty disappear in 1983. Of course, it did not actually disappear as it was just an illusion of lights. Nevertheless, sightseers, tourists and everyone watching from their screens were amazed. 

David Copperfield makes the Statue of Liberty ‘disappear’. Image credits: gothamist.com

In the same vein, Penn and Teller also perform acts that should technically be impossible, such as their double bullet catch trick. In this nerve-wracking performance, both partners cock guns at each other, aim and fire. The bullets are then caught in their teeth and shown to members of the audience to verify that they’re the same bullets that were fired.

Such tricks can be incredibly dangerous, however, it is rumoured that 12 magicians have died attempting to perform the bullet catch act. It is not recommended that beginner magicians try dangerous tricks like these. What you can try though, are these fun card tricks that are both harmless and will leave your friends and family mystified at your methods!

  1. Is this your card?: Grab a deck of cards and place the ace of spades at the bottom. Fan out the cards and ask the person to pick one. Let them place their card at the top of the pile, and then take half the deck and put it down. Place your half on top of their half. Flip the deck. Your ace is now in the middle of the deck, and whatever card they picked is right on top of it. Wow your friends with your powers of intuition!
Is this your card? Image credits: thesprucecrafts.com
  1. Three-card Monte: Take three cards — two similar and one special. Show them to the person you are trying to fool. Then place them face down and shuffle very slowly. Ask the person to identify the special card. Do this a few times so they think it is an easy game. When you have them convinced, do it again but with a slight change—take one card in your left hand, and two in your right hand. In your right hand, hold the upper card between your thumb and forefinger, and the second card with your thumb and middle finger. The special card must be in your right hand. Leave a little space between the two cards. When putting your cards down, lay the second card before you lay the first one, then slowly shuffle again. They will track the wrong card and you can then either choose to explain the trick, or revel in your newfound magic!
  2. The rising card: This is the easiest trick in a magician’s repertoire. It can be combined with “Is this your card?” for a little extra showmanship. First, find your friend’s card and place it on top of the deck. Hold the deck in your left hand and point the first finger of your right hand just above the deck. (If you are left-handed and want to perform the trick with your other hand, simply reverse the instructions.) Bring the first finger of your right hand down until it’s resting on top of the deck. When you rest your right first finger on top of the deck, extend your right little finger until its tip is resting on the back of the top card. Do this behind the deck so spectators can’t see the move. As you raise your right first finger, press your right little finger into the back of the top card so that the card rises up with your hand. When the card is approximately halfway out of the deck, grab the top edge of the card with your right first finger and thumb and quickly curl your right little finger in. 
The rising card trick behind the scenes.

Most of us are unable to go trick or treating this year but that’s no reason not to have fun. Why not learn some magic instead? With that, we wish you not just a happy haunting, but also happy hoodwinking!

Comments

  • Elizabeth
    November 1, 2020

    You go girl. Such a good read and it was informative! Keep writing, love!

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