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1 of 7Harry Houdini is shown in chains in this photo circa 1899.AP -
2 of 7Houdini shows his handcuffs as he stands in a wooden box on a boat and prepares to be submerged into the East River, New York, July 7, 1912.FPG/Getty Images -
3 of 7Houdini wears a straitjacket and hangs from a crane during one of his escape acts over Broadway and 46th Street, Manhattan, New York.FPG/Getty Images -
4 of 7Houdini is seen being fitted into an escape proof suit.MPI/Getty Images -
5 of 7Houdini chains himself to a locomotive wheel for an escape attempt.Mark Rucker—Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images -
6 of 7Houdini, handcuffed, and with his feet bound in chains, dives into pool in Los Angeles, May 7, 1923.AP -
7 of 7Houdini prepares to be sealed in an airtight casket before being submerged in the pool of the Hotel Shelton in New York, 5th August 1926.Bride Lane Library/Popperfoto/Getty Images
Harry Houdini, born Erich Weisz, was a Hungarian-American magician best known for his seemingly impossible escape acts. Houdini, a two-night miniseries by the History Channel, stars Adrien Brody as the revered magician and premieres on Sept. 1.
Take a look back at some photos of the original Houdini’s mind-boggling feats that made him famous throughout the world.
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