Houdini Dies in Michigan, 1926: Some Think He Will Return in 2026

In 1926 it will be 100 years when world famous – and historic – magician Harry Houdini was killed, by mistake, and died in Michigan.

Houdini performed at Detroit's Garrick Theatre on October 24, 1926 in great pain and a temperature of 104. What caused it?

Two days earlier, Houdini was relaxing in his Montreal backstage dressing room when a couple of college kids knocked on his door. Admitting they were big fans, they were aware of one of Houdini's boasts where he claimed he could “withstand any punch.” One of the kids, J. Gordon Whitehead, asked if this was true, to which Houdini replied "yes, I suppose it is" and told the kid to go ahead and try.

Get our free mobile app

Before he could get off the couch to face the boy, the kid began slugging him, raining down blows and not giving Houdini time to brace himself. This beating inflicted more damage than anyone expected and Houdini went ahead with his Montreal performance but in great pain. His next gig was the Garrick Theatre in Detroit. His temperature was 104 by the time he went onstage. His appendicitis had been enhanced by the beating and he passed out onstage. He was admitted to Detroit's Grace Hospital where they discovered Houdini had peritonitis, brought on by his ruptured appendix.

Both the Garrick Theatre and Grace Hospital have been torn down.

Houdini passed away on Halloween - October 31, 1926. Now, every Halloween, people from all over the country attempt to raise Houdini's spirit through seances. Even though in his lifetime Houdini spent a lot of his professional life trying to prove spiritualists were phonies, he used to say if there was an afterlife, he would prove it on the anniversary of his death by making a feather float across the room.

One of the weirdest tales about Houdini was his staged escape from inside a sea monster. In September 1911, he was challenged Houdini to attempt an escape from a 1,500-pound unidentified creature that had washed up in the harbor. Nobody knew what this ting actually was: a whale? Giant turtle? He took the challenge and was handcuffed and shackled in leg irons, then wedged inside the stinky, fleshy blob, which was wrapped in chains and put behind a curtain. It took him 15 minutes, but he almost passed out from the embalming chemicals.

Another Halloween has come and gone. Will Houdini make his appearance on the 100th anniversary of his death in 2026?