It ’s June 1914 , and illusionistHarry Houdiniis festinate through the crowded , smoggy street of London , bound for the offices of the Hamburg America Line . He ’s on his way to foot up two certificates of passage on a luxurious German steamship called the SSImperator , which will ferry him and his wife , Bess , home plate to New York later in the month .
After a series of performances around Britain , Houdini will in conclusion get a glorious break to rest and relax on the eminent ocean before a summerresidenceat Hammerstein ’s Victoria Theatre in Manhattan . For five whole day , he wo n’t have to rush at all .
Houdini skids to a stop in front of the Hamburg America building , strolls in , and give his name to the man at the front desk . Before the man hands over the ticket , he beckons Houdini closer with a conspirative air of concealment .
“ Teddy Roosevelt is on the boat , ” the world whisper in Houdini ’s ear . “ But do n’t tell anyone . ”
Erik Weisz accept the tickets with a smile and slowly returns to the dull , cloudy day . He has no aim of share the secret , but not because slack lip go under ship . Instead , he ’s already hatching a design — a design to trick everyone ’s favorite tough - talking , rough - riding former president .
From Mental Floss and iHeartRadio , this isHistory Vs . , a podcast about how your preferred historical figures faced off against their dandy foes . I ’m your host , Erin McCarthy , and in this bonus episode , we ’re talking about TR ’s rather improbable maritime friendship with Harry Houdini , who might have been one of the only masses to come after in leave TR truly dumbfounded . This episode is TR vs. Houdini .
natural spring of 1914 was an especially meddlesome time for both TR and Houdini , though neither was ever reallynotbusy . Still reeling from thedeathof his female parent in July 1913 , Houdini had embarked on a rigoroustourof England and Scotland , where he captivated crowds by break loose from H2O tanks , swallow needles , and making various target — people included — vanish and re-emerge .
Meanwhile , Theodore Roosevelt was on a rigorous go of his own . febrility and transmission had almost killed him during his South American expeditiousness along the River of Doubt that year , but even that was n’t enough to keep him home for long . He returned to New York onMay 19and set sail for Europe just11 dayslater . Once there , he spent the first one-half of June on a whirlwind continental jaunt that includedvisitsto Paris , London , and Madrid , where he take care his Logos Kermit ’s hymeneals to Belle Willard . Roosevelt ’s daughter Alice , who accompanied him , describedthe slip as “ a movie scarper at several time life speed . ”
On June 18 , TRleftAlice and the newlyweds behind , boardingthe SSImperatorin Southampton , England , with his cousin , Philip .
Harry and Bess Houdini boarded the ship , too .
It ’s not clear if TR and Houdini had ever actually met each other before the ocean trip , but they definitely attended the same issue on nation at least once : the Chicago World ’s Fair in 1893 .
formally called the World ’s Columbian Exposition , the outcome was meant tocelebratethe 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus ’s so - called discovery of the New World in 1492 .
Roosevelt hadfundeda full - shell architectural replica of a huntsman ’s cabin to memorialise Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett , and heattendedthe fair with his erstwhile sister , Bamie , who hadservedon the organization ’s Board of Lady Managers of New York .
A 19 - year - old , not - yet - notable Harry Houdini was also there — performingwith his blood brother , Theo , in a magical enactment called “ The Brothers Houdini . ” Maybe TR caught the show , or maybe he became familiar with Houdini ’s incredible feats later on in his career .
Either fashion , the two men encounter each other on the SSImperatorand soon became fast friends . They started work out together in the morning — at least , when both of them were feeling up to it . Houdini was prone to naupathia , and Roosevelt was still endure bouts of fever from his Brazilian expedition .
One dawning while they were taking a base on balls , a ship ’s military officer stopped them and involve if Houdini might be uncoerced to do at a charity concert the following Nox tobenefitthe German Sailors Home and the Magicians Club of London .
“ Go beforehand , Houdini , ” Roosevelt goad . “ Give us a little séance . ”
Houdini agree to what seemed like a completely spontaneous séance — but in realism , it was all part of the crafty outline that Houdini had been concocting ever since he get out TR would be on panel .
The tarradiddle was recounted in full in a 1929 newspaperarticleby Harold Kellock , which allegedly used Houdini ’s own parole from unreleased autobiographic excerpt .
lease ’s back up to when the ticket teller had divulged that Houdini would be sailing the high seas with Roosevelt . The necromancer remembered thatThe Telegraphhad program to publish the harrowing tale of Roosevelt ’s late Amazonian dispatch . After promising not to tell a soul that Roosevelt would be on board theImperator , he indite that he “ jumped into a hack and go toTheTelegraphoffice to see what [ he ] could pick up . ”
His editorial acquaintance readily oblige his request for information . They even give over a map that chart Roosevelt ’s exact path along the river . That ’s when Houdini decided to hold a séance , where he ’d act like spirits were revealing the detail of Roosevelt ’s trip , as yet undisclosed to the public .
Houdini ’s scheme did n’t blockade there . A less attached necromancer might have think that any onetime tone would do , but Houdini was n’t the best in the business for nothing . In his notion , the ruse would be more convincing if the secrets were convey by one spirit in particular : W.T. Stead , a British editor and known spiritualist who had perish on theTitanicin 1912 . Houdini had acquired some of his letters while in London .
He planned for the séance to center around a certain prank uncouth among mediums at the clock time . In it , a participant speck down a doubt on a piece of paper and slips it between two purportedly vacuous slates . Then , a spirit “ writes”—heavy air quotes around that password , by the mode — a response , and the performer break it to the interview .
On the slate , Houdini had drawn the map of Roosevelt ’s trail and written the words “ Near the Andes . ” He then forged Stead ’s signature tune on it to paint a picture that the message was sent straight from the hereafter .
There was definitely still a lot up in the atmosphere when he left the Southampton harbor , but Houdini had a program for just about every detail . The fact that he was n’t scheduled to execute on the SSImperatorwas sort of a non - issue . fit in to Houdini , he always staged impromptu shows during voyage , so it was probably no surprisal when the crew member asked him to do one . And was it luck that TR pass off to be brook there when the crew member necessitate , or had Houdini orchestrate the whole encounter ?
As for TR ’s suggestion that Houdini conduct a séance , well , that was n’t exactly a concurrence .
“ I find it gentle to work the Colonel into a state of mind so that the trace for the séance would number from him , ” Houdini publish . Though he did n’t complicate on what on the dot he tell about otherworldliness during their conversation , he apparently convert Roosevelt that a séance was a spectacle worth seeing .
Interestingly enough , Houdini would make a name for himself as an anti - spiritualist later in his career by debunking democratic mediums , demonstrating that they were frauds by mimicking their proficiency and let out their trickery .
Harry Houdini ’s next and most intimidating hurdle was not only to guarantee that the interrogation Roosevelt wrote on his slip of paper during the séance was “ Where was I last Christmas ? ” but also to ensure that it was Roosevelt ’s solecism of composition that he chose .
So the master manipulator prepared to engorge the voting , so to speak . Houdini copied “ Where was I last Christmas ? ” onto several sheets of theme , sealed them in envelopes , and planned to ensure that only those envelopes ended up in the hat that he ’d choose a doubtfulness from . He was , after all , an inviolable expert when it came to sleight of manus tricks .
But this is where Houdini ’s plan gets a little confutable . If Rooseveltdidn’twrite “ Where was I last Christmas ? , ” yet that ’s the question Houdini ’s tone answered , it seems like there would be a pretty secure possibleness that Roosevelt would say something like “ hold off , that was n’t my question . ”
Maybe Houdini realized his scheme was n’t quite foolproof , because he devised yet another back - up plan . On the morning of the carrying into action , Houdini noticed two books lying on a table in the beauty parlor where the performance would take position . After smuggle them back to his way , he slice up open their bindings with a razor sword and slide a sail of carbon paper and white paper beneath the screen . Then , he carefully resealed the books and returned them to the salon .
As long as Roosevelt used one of the books as a flat open to write on , the carbon composition would transfer his dubiousness to the white bed sheet below it . That way , Houdini could sneak a glance at the question even after the gasbag was seal and alter his carrying into action accordingly .
Would everything work out according to Houdini ’s plan ? We ’ll find out after this quick break .
The eve of the séance , the ship ’s occupantsgatheredin the Grand Salon and enjoyed the melodic talent of the Ritz Carlton Orchestra and opera Isaac Bashevis Singer Madame A. Cortesao .
Then , Houdini took the stage . He conspire silk handkerchiefs . He turned water into wine . He even countenance TR choose the cards during a series of card tricks .
“ I was amazed at the fashion he watched every one of the distraction move as I manipulated the cards , ” Houdini narrate . “ It was difficult to flummox him . ”
Under the sleepless regard of a very sharp bull moose , Houdini bend to the audience .
" Pelican State - dies and gen - tle - men , " he proclaimed . " I am sure that many among you have had experiences with mediums who have been capable to help the answering of your personal inquiry by departed hard drink , these answers being mysteriously create on slates . As we all live , mass medium do their work in the darken séance room , but tonight , for the first time anywhere , I propose to bear a spiritualistic slating test in the full public eye of the lighting . "
He distribute the slips of newspaper and instructed the interview to jot down down their questions . Seeing that Roosevelt was about to use his helping hand as a writing surface , Houdini generously passed him a book .
TR was n’t the only quick - witted gentleman in the interview that night . Broadway composer Victor Herbert review the scene and offered a few shrewd words of caution to his companion .
“ ‘ Turn around . Do n’t let him see it , ’ " Houdini heard Herbert warn Roosevelt . “ ‘ He will read the enquiry by the trend of the top of the pencil . ’ ” TR took his advice , become his back to Houdini so he could n’t be tricked … or so he thought .
“ That made no difference to me , ” Houdini wrote . Because , of course , the book he had give-up the ghost to TR was one of the books he ’d prepared , with carbon composition hidden under the cover .
After Roosevelt finished authorship , Houdini took the book and slyly extracted the paper from the privileged covering while returning it to the table . In an almost unlikely stroke of destiny , Roosevelt had written the very question Houdini had hoped for . So Houdini would n’t ask to slip one of his own envelopes between the slates , after all . In fact , he did n’t even pluck a question from the lid .
“ I am sure that there will be no remonstrance if we habituate the Colonel ’s question , ” he articulate , to universal acquiescence from the interview .
They all watched as Houdini shoot what appeared to be four blank sides of the slating . This was another little trick : Houdini had really only shown them three sides , obscuring the 4th so they would n’t see the mapping . Then , Houdini call for TR to put his gasbag between the slating and enjoin his question to the audience .
“ Where was I last Christmas ? ” TR enunciate .
Harry Houdini disclose the mathematical function to an dead astound hearing .
“ By George , that proves it ! ” TR roared over thunderous applause .
The next break of day , TR disturb their customary walk along the upper deck with a question he had plausibly been pondering since the stunt .
“ How did you do it last nighttime ? ” he ask Houdini . “ Was that really spirituality ? ”
Houdini later recounted that he grin and answer , “ No Colonel ; it is all hocus pocus . ”
According to a 1926 clause fromThe New York Times , however , Houdini claimed that he maintained the travesty and secern TR that it reallywasspirit writing . disregarding , it does n’t seem like TR ever got the full explanation . He died in 1919 , old age before newspapers shared these behind - the - scenes secrets with the populace .
Houdini ’s hijinks aboard the SSImperatordid make an immediate dab in the papers . The ship ’s radio operatorrecountedthe story to operators in Newfoundland , who then relay it to diary keeper in New York .
Oddly , though , those early intelligence report give a slightly different question — that Houdini did in reality choose from a chapeau — which was : “ Can you puff a mapping retrace the recent journey made by our most far-famed rider ? ”
So are those report incorrect , or was Houdini playing one last trick on everyone ? The world may never know the truth . Regardless , news of the notable magician ’s latest deception strike stands before the ship even reach the harbor .
The relaxation of the ocean trip return without any more thaumaturgy , unless you depend the magic of being in love . On June 22 , the night after the performance , the Houdinis keep their twentieth anniversary by host a deliciousdinnerof caviare and several fine French dishes .
consider his close-fitting companionship with Houdini , TR might have attended the event . But it ’s also possible he was busybodied with other things .
“ I have been working hard end my book on Africa and writing my Pittsburgh spoken communication , ” hetoldThe New York Timeson June 23 , shortly before the ship arrived in New York . He had also made time on June 22 for what he called a “ thorough review ” of theImperatorwith its commandant .
The bosom buddy break up ways when they reached New York , and it does n’t seem like they ever got a chance to hang out again . But Houdini , for one , always made it exonerated that he was proud of his friendship with TR . During the ocean trip , he hadarrangedto have their pic taken together by his assistant . Five other mankind terminate up in the exposure , including TR ’s cousin , Philip , and Houdini later give rise several copies of the photowithoutthe other men . He also prognosticate TR “ our beloved Colonel ” in one letter and relate to himself as “ a close personal friend of the Colonel ’s for years ” in another .
Houdini would finally go on to do for TR ’s grandchild at a political party in February 1925 , six years after TR died . Ted Jr. ’s Word — who was also named Theodore Roosevelt , and had been give birth just days before the legendary séance in 1914 — proved just as hard to baffle as his namesake .
Houdinisaidin a newspaper publisher article , “ He was not slaked with get wind the trick . He had to have sex how they were done . ”
We ’ll be back soon with another instalment ofHistory Phoebe .
Credits
chronicle Vs.is hosted by me , Erin McCarthy . This episode was written by Ellen Gutoskey , with fact - checking by Austin Thompson .
The Executive Producers are Erin McCarthy , Julie Douglas , and Tyler Klang .
The Supervising Producer is Dylan Fagan .
The show is edit by Dylan Fagan and Lowell Brillante .
To learn more about this sequence , and Theodore Roosevelt , suss out out our website at mentalfloss.com/historyvs .
History Vs.is a output of iHeart Radio and Mental Floss .
