32 min listen
The Heartbreak of Harry Houdini
ratings:
Length:
31 minutes
Released:
Nov 14, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Perhaps the most famous magician of all time, Harry Houdini, had a complicated lifelong relationship with Spiritualist mediums. Spiritualism was as well-known in the United States as the great illusionist, himself, but schemers used seances to swindle grieving families, attracting legal crackdowns and the scorn of Harry Houdini. Houdini publicly debunked many mediums as frauds. Many Spiritualist mediums were torn between public practices with communities of adherents and avoiding public scrutiny. Yet the religious practice of Spiritualism was the home of some of America’s most important civil libertarians and remains a deeply meaningful practice for many to this day.
Released:
Nov 14, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (14)
Seeking American Magic: The origin stories of a Rootworker and a Witch. by Magic in the United States