Harry Houdini was born on March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary. His real name was Erik Weisz. His family moved to America when he was young, and they were very poor. As a teenager, he worked many jobs to help his family. He became fascinated with magic after reading a book about a famous French magician. Houdini was not just a magician. He was an escape artist. He let people lock him in handcuffs, chains, jail cells, and locked boxes. He always escaped. His most famous trick was the Chinese Water Torture Cell. He was hung upside down in a locked glass box filled with water. The audience watched as he struggled to get free. It looked impossible, but he always escaped. Houdini was also a skilled performer who knew how to build excitement. He would challenge local police departments to lock him up. When he escaped, the newspapers wrote about it, making him even more famous. He was incredibly athletic. He trained his body to withstand pain and hold his breath for over three minutes. Houdini died on October 31, 1926, at the age of 52. He remains the most recognized name in the history of magic.