How Magicians Pull Off Their Most Famous Tricks Finally Revealed

Magic is one of those things that many of us would love to believe in. Unfortunately, casting spells and brewing potions isn’t always in the realm of possibility. If we want some magic in our lives, we often have to settle for the tricks that people perform, which can still take our breath away.

So often, we’ve seen something done and wondered how it was possible. In the moment, it looks so real that we dare to believe there must have been magic at play. However, the truth is that there’s usually a simple explanation for how it happened.

Pulling a rabbit out of a hat is an absolute classic

One of the tricks that most often comes to mind when people think about magic is pulling a rabbit out of a hat. It’s an absolute classic that has left audiences spellbound for years. After all, making a live animal appear like that is pretty astounding. Of course, for those practicing the art, it doesn’t have to be a rabbit.

Making anything appear out of a hat that isn’t meant to be there is still impressive, which is why this is one of the basics that many budding magicians learn. If you can pull this off, you’ll have the people watching eating out of the palm of your hand, even though there’s a simple explanation behind the magic trick.

The rabbit is hanging in a bag underneath the table

It would be great if you could reach into a hat and pull out a new pet for yourself. Unfortunately, this trick requires you to already own an animal, given the magician has to secretly put it in the hat when people aren’t looking. They simply pop it in from a bag hanging under a table.

A tablecloth is used to hide the presence of the animal, with the magician scooping the bag into the hat before they pull the rabbit out. Of course, that’s easier said than done, so the trick requires some of the core principles of magic, such as being able to distract the audience from what’s really happening.

Pouring milk into a cone is an easy way to spellbind people

One of the most impressive - but also most nerve-wracking - tricks is another of the basics. We’re referring to when magicians take a pitcher of milk and pour it into a cone of newspaper. Watching this unfold, it’s so easy to believe that the performer is going to make a mess of themselves and get some very milky shoes.

However, if they know what they’re doing, they manage to avoid any spillages every time. When the trick is done, they reveal that the paper is as dry as it was when they started, leaving audiences wondering how that’s possible. Where could the milk have gone if not into the cone? Again, the answer is a pretty simple one.

A transparent liner explains how you can pour the milk without mess

If you want to try this yourself and don’t wish to make a mess of the floor, there’s one prop you’ll need to make sure you have. We’re referring to a pitcher with a transparent liner. Before the trick, you’ll want to put milk into the space between the liner and the wall of the pitcher.

This will make the pitcher look full. When you then pour it, the liquid will flow through a cutout in the liner while a barrier at the top prevents it from entering the cone. With the milk now in the main body of the pitcher itself, you can pour it into a glass to prove that the liquid is real.

Separating a person’s body adds great shock value to a performance

Part of the fun of magic is its shock value. The more experienced viewers are with magic, the harder it can be to blow them away. That’s why some tricks take things to the extreme, like those that appear to cut people in half. If things went wrong with this, it would have some very serious consequences.

How often do you see people succumbing to a tragic fate when this trick is performed, though? Usually, the assistant is always smiling at the crowd as their body is split in two before magically being put back together. Of course, there’s no real magic to this trick, just a bit of deception to fool the masses.

Usually, this trick involves two people crammed into separate boxes

As incredible as it would be to split a person’s body in two and then put them back together again with ease, no one in this trick ever loses their legs. Instead, what will often happen is that the assistant will be crammed into the top box where their head and arms are. Naturally, they’ll have to be quite flexible.

Meanwhile, the box with their feet will actually contain another person altogether. Again, they have to be able to contort themselves quite significantly for the trick to work. However, it really creates the illusion of a person being split in half because they’re able to move their feet and make the audience think they belong to someone else.

Walking on water is a trick with some holy connotations

If someone proclaims to be able to walk on water, people may think that there’s something incredibly holy about them. After all, this ability is something that stems back to the days of the Bible. However, often, when people make the claim nowadays, they’re simply looking for another way to spellbind the audience with their magic.

That’s understandable because being able to walk across a liquid surface is definitely very impressive. If you can pull something like that off, it’s not hard to believe there’s something special in your arsenal. Unfortunately, while it might seem like magic or the work of a holy power, the reality is there’s just some visual trickery at play.

Perspex platforms allow magicians to walk on water without any trouble

As impressive as it may seem when someone starts walking on water, the truth is that they’re not doing anything the rest of us can’t do. There’s still a solid surface beneath their feet; you simply can’t see it because it’s designed to blend in with the water itself. These Perspex platforms are incredibly deceptive.

As long as they’re placed before the performance, a magician can set foot on the surface of the water and leave their audience captivated. Provided they know where the solid part ends and the water begins, they can mystify people with their seemingly holy abilities. Some acting may be required to really sell the whole thing, though.

Swallowing a bladed weapon is a trick that can easily go wrong

Magicians really have to think outside of the box sometimes to keep audiences interested. Of course, this can lead to tricks that horrify as much as they amaze. A good example of this is when people stick a bladed weapon deep down their throat and somehow manage not to destroy their insides in the process.

There have been times when performers have been seriously injured because the trick has gone wrong. Unlike plenty of other magic tricks, this is not an illusion, so there is a real potential for things to go wrong. However, when done correctly, it can ensure that people walk away from the performance adamant they’ll never forget it.

This trick is all about finding the right head position to avoid injury

As we mentioned before, this trick is not one that people just fake. It’s something that requires exceptional skill and plenty of confidence to pull off. The magic here is that the performer manages to position their head in a way that creates a straight line from the mouth all the way down the esophagus.

If the magician can do this, they should be able to slide a weapon inside their body without it causing any internal damage. However, this isn’t something that amateurs should try when learning tricks to impress their friends and family. It takes immense dedication and practice to do successfully, and it won’t work if you have a gag reflex.

Zigzag takes cutting a magician’s assistant in half to the next level

A trick that’s similar to cutting an assistant in half is the zigzag. Here, a person stands inside a tall box, and the performer proceeds to push parts of that box out of place. Audiences are generally mystified about how they’re able to do this to their assistant - who’s smiling and acting like nothing has happened - without harming them.

Something that really helps to make this trick believable is the fact that there are usually holes for hands and feet. With the assistant showing they can still move these around with ease, viewers have to wonder how the magician has pulled this off. Surely it’s not a case that there are multiple people inside the box once again?

The person inside the box needs to be incredibly flexible for this trick

While having multiple people in the box might seem like the best explanation for this trick, that’s not generally how it works. However, just like with cutting an assistant in half, this trick does require someone to be incredibly flexible. When the parts of the box are moved around, the assistant’s body has to bend with them.

It’s not the most comfortable position to stand in and definitely requires the person in the box to be on the slimmer side. That way, it’s easy to separate the different parts as far as possible without causing any harm to the assistant. This is why magicians won’t pick a random audience member for such a trick.

The floating cup is a classic that gives the impression of levitation

Who wouldn’t love to have the power to control objects without touching them? Being able to make things float and fly around would be quite incredible, and it would definitely make others believe in magic. Unfortunately, as wonderful as it would be to possess such powers, such abilities currently elude us. Maybe that will change one day?

Until then, we have a few simple tricks that give the illusion of possessing such powers, even though the people who perform them are as magical as the rest of us. A favorite for this trick is the levitating cup, where someone appears to make a cup float out of their hands. However, the magic here is easily explained away.

All you need to make a cup levitate is your thumb

Something that really gives the game away with this trick is the fact that it’s only possible with a certain type of cup. You’ll probably struggle to find a magician agreeing to perform this trick with a glass because it’s not an easy material. They need something they can easily stick their thumb through to pull off the levitation.

This trick usually requires a magician to be quite skilled at distracting the audience because it’s easier to see through this magic. They also need to make sure they’re careful with what they allow people to see when performing this trick. Do things at the wrong angle, and it will be clear that their thumb is controlling the movement.

Bending a spoon is a simple trick but one that can still impress

Some magic tricks are definitely more impressive than others. Things like cutting assistants in half and walking on water are stuff you’re more likely to see in a big, professional show. Meanwhile, levitating a cup and pouring milk into a paper cone tends to be reserved for smaller affairs like parties, where any amateur can impress their loved ones.

We’d say that the bending spoon trick probably falls into the latter category. Having the power to bend an item like this can be impressive, but it’s very easy for anyone to pull off. So, if you’re interested in showing your friends and family that you have power over cutlery, this is definitely one to try out.

With a coin, it’s easy to deceive people with your spoon-bending abilities

There are several ways to pull off this trick. If you don’t wish to ruin any of your cutlery, the best thing to do is pretend to bend a spoon without actually damaging it at all. You do this by pinching a coin between your fingers to make it look as though you’re holding the top of the utensil.

Then, keeping your hand in this position, you manipulate the spoon so that it lowers towards the table. With the coin held where it is, it’ll give off the impression that the spoon is bending. In reality, though, it’s as straight as it was before the trick. Although simple, it can still take some practice to pull this off effectively.

A magician impaling themselves is a trick that’s not for the squeamish

We’ve already seen that magic tricks can be a little unsettling to watch sometimes. As impressive as they may be, they’re not always that comfortable to witness when you’re squeamish. This next trick definitely falls into that category, as it’s one that involves a magician impaling themselves on a spike. At least, that’s how it appears, anyway.

You don’t need to worry about magicians who perform this trick doing themselves any harm because it’s all an illusion. When they stand up again after seemingly being impaled, there’s no indication that there was ever a pole going through their body. When it looks so realistic, though, how do these people manage to pull it off?

A concealed platform helps the magician create the belief they’ve been impaled

As is often the case with tricks like these, there’s a secret platform in place that helps the magician deceive the audience with their seemingly gruesome display. While it might appear as though the man or woman’s body is gradually descending on the spike, they’re actually suspended by a platform that can steadily move them down.

Apparently, the magician will also usually wear a corset that adds to the appearance of the spike going through their body. So, while it might look as though the performer has made a huge mistake on the stage, the grisly trick is nothing more than an illusion. Even knowing this, it can still be quite uncomfortable to watch.

Levitating street performers make money by sitting in the air

We spoke before about levitation and how incredible it would be to make objects float. Some performers take this to the next level and decide to create the illusion that their entire body is suspended above the ground. This is something you’re more likely to see on the street than from magicians putting on a show on stage.

People can spend hours in public captivating pedestrians by doing nothing more than sitting there. Many of those who pass by are confused by how the performer has managed to suspend their body above the ground and assume magic must be at work. You could say that’s the case, provided you understand that magic is usually all about illusions.

Plenty of set dressing is used to hide how these performers levitate

It’s easy to be fooled by the performers who do this levitation trick. However, after you’ve seen a couple of them, it’s easy to work out what’s really going on. You’ll notice that there are consistencies between each person who does this, which reveal that they’re all sat on platforms held up by the pole they hold onto.

This is all supported by a platform on the ground that the performer will cover with one thing or another to avoid suspicion. Meanwhile, the person will typically wear robes or something flowing that can easily disguise what they’re sitting on. Part of the pole will also be hidden in the sleeve so onlookers can’t see how it’s connected.

Making a card pass through glass is quite an impressive trick

You can never go wrong with a good card trick. Plenty of amateur magicians will start out with these because they’re easy enough to practice and can still be quite impressive. Of course, as people are so familiar with them, you eventually have to find ways to make them exciting if you want to keep people entertained.

One trick that performers have taken up to try and achieve this is throwing cards at a window. One of those cards will somehow be stuck to the window and on the opposing side, too, suggesting it’s somehow gone through the glass. This card will also miraculously be the one a spectator had previously selected from a deck.

The card is attached to the window while the trick is performed 

The first step to this trick is manipulating the deck. Although it may appear that the card a person chooses is completely random and then shuffled in with the rest of the deck, that usually isn’t the case. The magician will use one trick or another here, from falsely shuffling the card to using duplicates in the deck.

When they throw the cards at a window, the chances are that the one the spectator chose was already attached to the glass. The performer simply used misdirection to stop them from noticing that an assistant put it there during the trick. This is definitely a good way to blow people’s minds, provided you know how to distract everyone watching.

Water that’s poured into a glass can somehow disappear in an instant

It would be pretty frustrating if you asked someone to pour you a glass of water, only for the liquid to have disappeared by the time you go to drink it, right? Of course, it’s a bit less annoying when it’s all part of a magic trick that someone’s managed to pull off without you realizing.

You may think this is a similar trick to the magical milk pitcher and no water actually entered the glass in the first place. However, that’s not the case. Unlike that illusion, the liquid in this trick is definitely poured into the container. However, something happens to it while it’s in there that quickly makes it disappear.

A sponge or sodium polyacrylate may be responsible for the vanishing water

As with several of these magic tricks, there are multiple ways that a performer may pull this one off. Sometimes, the container that the water is poured into may have a sponge at the bottom that soaks up the liquid. So, by the time they go to pour the water out, there’s nothing left in the glass.

Other times, they may use sodium polyacrylate, which works in a similar way. The water reacts with the compound and soon forms a solid gel that will be stuck to the glass. As this stuff isn’t easy to see when you’re in the audience, it’s easy to believe that the liquid has somehow vanished in no time at all.

The floating woman is another example of levitation magic at its most captivating

There’s something about levitation that audiences just find compelling. Perhaps it’s because it’s such a clear example of magic that people end up falling for the trick and questioning exactly what they saw? When it’s not obvious how these tricks are pulled off, it’s difficult not to believe that something mystical must have happened on the stage.

Another popular levitation trick is the floating woman, where a magician’s assistant will lie down on something that’s held up by various supports. When those supports are removed, the assistant remains in the air as though she’s lying on a floating platform. The magician will typically use a hoop to show that there’s nothing holding her up other than magic.

Despite how it appears, the floating platform is supported by a pole 

It’s very easy to be fooled by this trick, especially when you have the magician seemingly showing there’s nothing connecting the platform to the ground. However, it’s all a case of deception, as there is actually a pole holding the platform in the air. You simply can’t see it because of how everything is presented on the stage.

What about the hoop, though? If you watch how they do this, you’ll realize that they’re using it in a way that conceals the fact there is a barrier in the way. It’s easy to miss when you’re caught up in the trick. However, if you pay attention to the magician's actions, you’ll soon notice that they’re creating an illusion.

Some magicians seemingly have the power to break a coin in two

Let’s face it: money usually isn’t as easy to come by as we’d like. Typically, we have far less of it than we’d like. So, when you see someone biting into a coin and breaking it as part of a magic trick, what are we meant to think? That coin could have come in helpful for something.

Of course, once you get over the issue of money being wasted, you realize that it’s quite a cool trick. After all, having seen how resilient coins are, it’s clear that breaking one in half with your teeth is not easy. If you were to try it yourself, you’d probably break your teeth before the coin snapped.

All you need is a trick coin to pull off this illusion

Fortunately, if you’re the type of person to get annoyed about someone wasting money - no matter the amount - you needn’t fear. While it might look like magicians can go around breaking coins left, right, and center, this is actually just a simple illusion. You can pull it off yourself if you just buy a trick coin from the internet.

These coins are designed to break apart when bitten, allowing any magician to fool their audience. Even if it seems like the performer has taken the coin from someone in the audience, they’ve probably performed sleight of hand to get the desired result. While they might have picked up a real coin, it’s the fake that goes in their mouth.

Making a coin appear is one of the oldest magic tricks in the book

If you prefer magic tricks that make money appear instead of disappear, you’re in luck. There are plenty of these out there, many of which people tend to learn when they’re starting out in magic. After all, they’re easy to practice, and anyone can attempt them so long as they have a coin to try things out on.

Some of the most popular coin tricks involve making them disappear and then reappear elsewhere, such as pulling them out from behind someone’s ear. It’s an excellent trick for parties - especially when you’re dealing with kids - and it’s easy enough to do if you’re adept at sleight of hand. That’s pretty much an essential for a magician, anyway.

Sleight of hand and distraction make this trick easy to pull off

There are plenty of ways you can hide a coin in your hand without people realizing it. Some magicians will use the muscles between the base of their thumb and little finger to do this, while others will do it at the bottom of their middle and ring fingers. How you do it doesn’t really matter.

As long as your hand is positioned in a way that it’s not obvious you’re gripping something, you should be able to convince people you're not holding anything. Of course, you don’t want them to look too hard, which is why distraction is necessary. Then, you simply put that hand behind someone’s ear and produce the coin.

David Copperfield once made the Statue of Liberty disappear

Professional magicians have to go bold if they want to sell out shows on a regular basis. With so much competition out there, they really have to prove they’ve got skills like no one else. That’s why David Copperfield once claimed that he would make the Statue of Liberty disappear. It attracted a massive amount of publicity.

After all, people would surely notice if something as big as that landmark just vanished, right? Many didn’t believe it was possible, while others felt that if Copperfield pulled it off, it would prove that magic really does exist. Luckily for the performer, he was successful in making Lady Liberty disappear. At least, that's how it seemed anyway.

The audience was moved, so their perspective was completely different

When David Copperfield removed the sheet, and the Statue of Liberty was gone, people couldn’t believe it. The landmark is over 150 feet tall - 305 feet when you add in the pedestal - so how could it just vanish? Well, the reality is that it didn’t - Copperfield simply changed the audience’s perspective, so it looked like it had.

Apparently, the people who witnessed the magic trick in person were actually turned around. They just didn’t realize that the floor under them moved because there was loud music playing. In doing this, Copperfield was able to confuse the viewers because the Statue was now hidden behind one of the towers that initially held the sheet up.

Harry Houdini had no trouble getting out of handcuffs when he performed

When it comes to magic and illusions, one of the most influential names to ever try their hand at this stuff was Harry Houdini. He pulled off all sorts of stunts during his career that have inspired performers ever since. One of the things he became particularly known for was his capabilities as an escape artist.

It seemed as though no matter what sort of bindings the man was in, he had no trouble getting out of them. Handcuffs, for example, were not particularly difficult to get out of, regardless of how many different locks there were in place. How exactly did he manage to do this so efficiently every time, though? 

Houdini was a skilled lockpicker who also sometimes relied on the key

Considering his ease at escaping from handcuffs, some people assumed that he was simply locked in props that had a trick release. That wasn’t the case, though. Instead, he was a highly skilled lockpicker who’d been studying the art for years. He knew how to get out of them using string or the right amount of force.

Of course, sometimes, Houdini resorted to the standard method of using the key. He’d hide it in his palm or up his sleeve and then unlock the cuffs. Occasionally, he’d get an assistant to swap the real key with a fake one so that those who cuffed him didn’t know Houdini had the way out in his possession.

The magician managed to escape from a straitjacket while hanging upside down

Getting out of handcuffs is a pretty impressive feat, although not something the cops would probably want a lot of people learning. However, after you’ve done it enough times, the trick becomes a little dull. Luckily, Harry Houdini had no desire to bore his audience and found ways to keep his performances exciting, like escaping from a straitjacket.

A bit more complex than your standard handcuffs, Houdini’s straitjacket escapes had the additional element that he was suspended by his feet relatively high in the air. Houdini apparently often performed this trick outside the theaters he would be performing in later to attract public interest in his shows. His efforts paid off because he did the trick so well.

Houdini always prepared for escape before the straitjacket was put on

Much like handcuffs, straitjackets are designed to stop people from breaking free of them. Yet, Harry Houdini never appeared to have much trouble getting out of them. This was because of what he did when the item was put on. That included taking a deep breath to expand his chest and putting his dominant arm on top of his chest.

When Houdini then breathed out, he had more room to manoeuvre, which made things easier. He would apparently use his teeth to open the buckles or sometimes use a cutting tool that was hidden in his palm. He would also actively dislocate his shoulder if he needed more room, but that was generally something Houdini tried to avoid.

Harry Houdini successfully swapped places with his wife despite being locked in a box

Harry Houdini wasn’t the only one involved in his incredible tricks. Some of his performances relied on an assistant, with Houdini sometimes enlisting the help of his wife, Beatrice. Together, they pulled off some incredible displays of magic, the most impressive being their ability to swap places in the blink of an eye. It’s a trick known as metamorphosis.

The pair would amaze audiences by switching places with each other despite the fact that Harry was bound, put in a sack, and locked inside a box. After this preparation was sorted, Beatrice would pull a curtain around a box. Then, after clapping three times, the curtain revealed Houdini to be in his wife’s position and vice versa.

The couple managed to switch places in seconds with no magic involved

With how quickly Harry and Beatrice managed to pull this trick off, audiences couldn’t believe that their actions were the result of anything but magic. However, as impressive as it was, there was nothing mystical about the trick. Houdini - a master of escaping his bindings - was already untied in the bag while the box was being locked.

After the curtain was drawn, he escaped through a panel in the back, tied his wife’s hands, and helped her into the sack. When the audience saw hands clapping, they assumed these belonged to Beatrice, but they were actually Harry’s. Apparently, the couple managed to do their switch in as fast as three seconds after plenty of practice.

Harry Houdini seemed to achieve the impossible by moving through a wall

We know that cards can’t really go through glass, but can a man go through a wall? Harry Houdini suggested it was possible during his career, seemingly achieving the feat on stage in front of a stunned audience. Those viewers apparently even watched the wall being constructed while Houdini pulled out some of his classic tricks to pass the time.

Given the height and width of the wall, there was no way that he could get around it without being spotted. Moreover, there was no trapdoor in the floor that would allow him to sneak underneath. Yet, after screens were moved in front of the magician, he would quickly find himself on the other side. How was that possible?

There was actually a small trapdoor that allowed him to move across quickly

Well, as it turned out, there was a trapdoor beneath the stage that people couldn’t see because it was hidden beneath the rug. This apparently dropped down into a V-shape below the wall, offering just enough space for Houdini to sneak through and make it to the other side quickly. Speed was definitely of the essence here.

Of course, Harry was such a practiced magician with an immense amount of skill. So, he managed to achieve the feat without raising any suspicions. If you ever see someone try to recreate this trick, be sure to check the floor of the stage and see if it’s covered by anything for no particular reason

Houdini drank needles or razors before pulling them out on a string

We know that magicians are sometimes willing to do pretty dangerous acts for the sake of winning an audience’s approval. Harry Houdini certainly fell into that category during his heyday, as the man was willing to put sharp objects in his mouth. Rather than swallowing bladed weapons, though, he instead opted for razors or needles.

In this trick, he would put as many as 50 of these in his mouth, along with some string. He would then have a glass of water and proceed to pull the needles or razors out. The crazy thing was that all of the apparatus was now connected to the string, leaving audiences completely spellbound.

The connected needles or razors were already hidden in his cheek

This trick was not without its share of risks. After all, accidentally ingesting so many sharp objects could cause a serious amount of internal bleeding. However, Houdini had two ways to avoid causing himself any damage. He would either subtly spit the items back into the glass while drinking, or he would move them to one of his cheeks.

In the other cheek would be a packet that contained the needles or razors already attached to a piece of string. This is what Houdini would pull out of his mouth after drinking the water, leaving viewers none the wiser. Understandably, trying to get this trick perfect took a lot of effort, especially as it involved such dangerous apparatus.

Escaping from a milk can was a race against time for Houdini

We know that when it comes to escaping, Harry Houdini was basically unmatched. He could break out of anything with seemingly little trouble, sometimes completely defying all realms of possibility. For example, one thing he definitely shouldn’t have been able to break out of was a milk can. This was secured with locks often provided by members of the audience.

With the milk can filled with water, it was imperative that Harry get out quickly or risk drowning. Fortunately, he seemed to manage that with no problem. After a curtain was pulled around the milk can and several minutes passed, he would appear soaking wet and reveal that the locks were all still attached to the lid. 

The top of the milk can opened a lot easier than expected

Understandably, people were blown away every time that Houdini pulled this off. How did he make it out of the milk can without getting rid of the locks? Well, apparently, the top of the can came away easily when pushed from the inside. Although it appeared to be riveted down, there was a section that popped out with little trouble.

So, as soon as the curtain was drawn, Houdini would leave the milk can through this hole and then simply wait to reveal himself to the audience. Although he didn’t have to hold his breath for the entire performance, Houdini did still have to hold it while the locks were put in place. Apparently, this usually took about a minute.

Houdini’s escape skills were put to the test in the underwater box

Houdini really loved pushing himself to the limit with his tricks. Each one seemed to build on his strengths, with his underwater box trick taking elements he was skilled at and bringing them all together. In this, the magician would be handcuffed and then put inside a wooden packing crate, the lid of which was then nailed shut.

To make the box even more secure, chains and ropes were then added to the outside before the crate was lowered into the river by a crane. The box sank immediately, leaving onlookers concerned that they might never see Houdini again. However, he would rise to the surface eventually, with his hands free of the cuffs.

A hidden panel in the crate meant that escape was easy

Tricks like this really proved that Harry’s escape skills were like none other and suggested that maybe magic did exist. However, like everything else, this was something that anyone could replicate in the present with enough practice. After all, the only thing you really need for this trick to work is a crate with a hidden panel to escape through.

As the man was so adept at escaping handcuffs, he was out of these before the box was even nailed shut. Then, it was simply a matter of leaving through the hole as soon as the crate sank. The only reason it took a while for Houdini to surface was that he wanted to add to the suspense.

Harry Houdini’s abdomen could seemingly handle any sort of blow

Most of Harry Houdini’s magic seemed to involve impossible escapes or reaching places he shouldn’t have been able to. However, one of his best-known tricks had nothing to do with this. Instead, it was all about how much of a beating his stomach could take. That might not sound like magic, but his abdominal strength was something else.

The man claimed to be able to handle any blow to his stomach and frequently encouraged people in the audience to try and defy him. Many fans of Houdini’s did precisely that, but the outcome was always the same. No matter how strong they were, the magician seemed unfazed by the blow. Was this anything mystical, though?

His iron stomach was nothing more than some preparation and good acting

Apparently, this was simply a case of Harry preparing his stomach muscles before the hit so that it didn’t affect him so much. This didn’t necessarily mean that some of those blows didn't hurt. However, Houdini was also a fine actor, so he managed to hide any pain through a compelling performance, keeping the magic alive.

Unfortunately, there are claims Harry’s iron stomach may have contributed to his untimely passing. Days before he lost his life, a fan had repeatedly hit him in the stomach before he’d prepared himself. It’s unclear if this is what ruptured his appendix or if the pain from the blows meant he didn’t realize there was something seriously wrong with him.

Michael Jackson’s lean in Smooth Criminal seemed an act of magic

Michael Jackson was not a man particularly known for his magic tricks. People were more interested in the magic he could create with his music rather than expecting any illusions from him. However, there was at least one instance where he managed to take fans’ breaths away with his seemingly mystical actions in a music video.

We’re talking about when he leaned forward in the ‘Smooth Criminal’ video, doing so in a way that was wholly unnatural. At that angle, he should have been falling on the floor, yet he managed to stay on his feet. As it was released in the ‘80s, people couldn’t even put the trick down to a digital illusion.

Specialized shoes and plenty of core strength allowed for this magical lean

While the trick might have seemed pretty magical, Jackson didn’t need to call upon any powers to make it happen. Instead, he just needed to wear the right shoes. It seems that his footwear in the ‘Smooth Criminal’ video had holes in the heel, which allowed him to stand on top of nails in the floor.

When it came time for the lean, he would stand on those nails and lean forward without falling over. Of course, pulling this off also required a lot of core strength, and many of those who have tried to replicate the move have failed. One researcher said it requires “athletic core strength from strengthened spinal muscles and lower-limb anti-gravity muscles.”