October 4: The Floating (Toilet) Ball

On this day in 1946, magic dealer Joe Karson filed a U.S. patent for an “Illusion Apparatus,” which apparently caused a ball to levitate behind a rectangular screen of fabric. It was marketed under the name of Zombie, the floating ball. Karson told friends that the trick had been inspired after an exhausting day of do-it-yourself repairs. When he was repairing his toilet, he picked up the toilet float, a copper-colored ball attached to a rod, and was inspired to perform an impromptu version using a bath towel.