Edward Morrell Massey was born on this day in 1893. He invented many popular, ingenious marketed tricks like the Squeezaway Block, Cabinet of Deodar, Ribbon Fantastique, and the Chinese Flame Clock. For Howard Thurston, he created the Rod Through Body and Vivisection. The last was an elaborate, wheel-shaped illusion to divide a lady into three pieces. Massey authored several books, including the magic books New and Original Magic and Adventures of a Boy Magician, and a popular locked-room mystery called Left Hand Left.
Illustration courtesy of Jim Steinmeyer