On this day in 1939, Ted Annemann published No. 69 of his journal, The Jinx, the first appearance of Stewart James’ innovative trick, Sefalaljia. This tiny spirit cabinet effect (James used an empty radio cabinet) introduced a number of fascinating principles—the rubber ball that is transported across the cabinet to fall in a glass, and the borrowed ring that becomes pinned at the center of a ribbon. Over the years, Sefalaljia has been expanded or simplified into various effects by Abbott’s Magic, David Regal, and Dean Dill, among others. James’ title was derived from the medical term, cephalalgia, meaning headache.
