September 14: William Lindsay Gresham
William Lindsay Gresham died by suicide in 1962
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Historic milestones, notable events, and magical anniversaries from this day.
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September 25: Pepper’s Ghost
On this day in 1863, letters of patent were issued to Henry Dircks and John Henry Pepper for “an improvement on apparatus to be used in the exhibition of dramatic and other like performances"
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September 9: Larsen's Magigals
The new Portland, Oregon assembly of Magigals held its first meeting in 1951
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September 16: Copperfield
As Davino, he contributed an article called “Dancing Cane Tips” to the March 1972 Genii; he offered a valuable touch for correcting the balance during the routine
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August 16: The Legend of the Silk Worm
Talma closed a week of performances at the Manchester Tivoli Theater with her new act, The Legend of the Silk Worm.
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August 15: Clayton Rawson
Clayton Rawson was born on this day in 1906 in Elyria, New York. He specialized in the “locked room” format—an impossible crime that couldn’t have happened, with the books featuring his magician/detective character, The Great Merlini.
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August 11: Adelaide Herrmann
Adelaide Herrmann was born in London in 1853, to a Belgian family. She was a successful magician who performed spectacular acts of sleight of hand and illusions.
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July 26: Max Auzinger
Max Auzinger was born on this day in 1839; he accidentally discovered the principle of Black Art as he was working on a play.
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July 23: The Arch-Exposer
Angelo Lewis, a British lawyer, was born on this day in 1839. As an amateur conjurer, he wrote in children’s magazines and magic books using the now-famous nom de plume, Professor Hoffmann.
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July 11: Harry Kellar
Harry Kellar was born on this day in 1849. He became America’s greatest magician of his time.
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July 10: Lance Burton's Tuxedo
On this day in 1982, Lance Burton won the Grand Prix at FISM in Lausanne, Switzerland, the first American and the youngest contestant to win.
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July 7: Religious Racketeers
Religious Racketeers (later retitled The Mystic Circle Murders), a film featuring Beatrice Houdini in a supporting role, premiered on this day in 1938.