On this day in 1901, Horace Goldin, at the age of 27, made his British debut at the Palace Theatre. A performance in his usual fast-paced style was described by Selbit (the inventor of Sawing a Woman in Half) who said: “In his first 15 minutes Goldin did more magic and more mischief than many others have done in a lifetime.” Goldin’s account of his U.K. performances dispels the suspicion that Selbit’s assessment was hyperbole. “When I came to England I had a repertoire of over 200 tricks, all of which I had invented myself,” he wrote.
