In this act, Houdini was handcuffed and sealed inside an oversized milk can filled with water and made his escape behind a curtain.

He was sitting on a couch because of his broken ankle when five blows were delivered to his abdomen. Why did Houdini get punched?Īt a show in Montreal on October 22 1926, he agreed to be punched in the gut multiple times when a student asked if he could resist the pain. It’s likely Houdini’s appendix would have burst on its own without striking. Upon Houdini’s supposed approval, Whitehead delivered multiple blows to Houdini’s stomach, reportedly hitting him three times before the magician was able to tighten his stomach muscles to protect himself sufficiently. The stocks would be locked to the top of the cell, and a curtain would conceal his escape. The mahogany and metal cell featured a glass front, through which audiences could clearly see Houdini.

In the trick, Houdini’s feet would be locked in stocks, and he would be lowered upside down into a tank filled with water. While being shackled into his Chinese Water Torture Cell during a performance in Albany, New York, the conjurer was struck on the leg by a piece of faulty equipment. Houdini’s Final Performance The strange series of events that led to Houdini’s demise had kicked off several weeks earlier on October 11, 1926. He had been taken there after he collapsed onstage after a performance of his Water Torture Cell escape. Houdini would hold his breath underwater for several minutes while hanging upside down from a set of locked, heavy wooden stocks around his ankles. 6 How long did it take Harry Houdini to do the trick?.5 How did Harry Houdini escape the fish tank?.

Houdini in water tank