Houdini: A Message from the Spirits (Part 1)

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Pushkin Industries

Society & Culture, History

4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Harry Houdini is remembered today for his legendary escapes and illusions, but he also had a lifelong obsession with the paranormal. After dabbling in fake seances himself, Houdini made it his mission to uncover frauds and expose mediums. This would put him on a collision course with his spiritualist friend, Arthur Conan Doyle, and leave him fearing for his life.

This is the first of a three-part series.

For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Pushkin
0:07.0	In summer 1922, outside the Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey,
0:19.0	two of the world's most famous men are relaxing in deck
0:24.3	chairs with their wives. One man is famous for his astonishing escapes from handcuffs, straight
0:31.7	jackets, all being buried alive. Harry Houdini, the world's greatest mystify.
0:39.3	The other man is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
0:43.9	famous for his novels about the world's greatest solver of mysteries,
0:48.8	Sherlock Holmes.
0:50.5	As the celebrated detective like to say,
0:53.3	when you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
1:01.7	Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is not only a famous author, but also the best-known advocate for the new religion of spiritualism.
1:10.2	That religion is growing quickly.
1:13.2	Spiritualist mediums say they can pass on messages from departed loved ones,
1:18.8	and the world has no shortage of bereaved relatives.
1:22.8	The Great War and the Spanish flu have cut down swathes of young people, including Sir Arthur's son.
1:32.2	Sir Arthur has no doubt whatsoever that it's possible to communicate with the dead.
1:39.2	Houdini is keenly interested in whether or not that's true.
1:44.2	A couple of years earlier, Sir Arthur had seen Houdini's show
1:48.2	and invited him for lunch.
1:50.6	They've been friends ever since.
1:53.5	Houdini!
1:54.7	If agreeable, Lady Doyle will give you a special seance,
	...

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