The history of magic evolves

_Elsa_

‘Magic continued to evolve over the decades. In the early 1800s, Richard Potter became the first stage magician in the USA. Some of his tricks included passing coins through a table, breaking and restoring broken watches and placing his hand in a bowl of molten lead – not a trick to be tried at home!

Magic gradually came back into favour, and the start of the 1800s also saw magic being introduced to the big stage. The founding father of modern magic shows is Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin. He took magic from the street onto the stage and into mainstream entertainment. Since then it has become a staple act of the variety show. Other famous names include Harry Houdini, who performed some amazing and sensational escape acts including being shackled in chains and placed in a locked and weighted box that was submerged in water. Without any help, Houdini freed himself from his underwater prison to return to the surface.

Magic as it is today - The advent of television saw magic introduced to mass audiences with big names like David Copperfield and later David Blaine and Dynamo. Magic shows have become bigger, better and more glamorous, with brilliant illusions and seemingly impossible performances.

Modern magic is not all about the big acts with bright lights, smoke and disappearing animals – close-up magic can enthral audiences just as much as the big shows. Magic captures peoples’ natural curiosity as they are determined to figure out how the trick is done. There is something about the proximity of the trick that drives the sense of disbelief. This makes close-up magic the perfect entertainment for events like parties and weddings because people cannot but help be drawn into the performance; it feeds their curiosity, makes it a great talking point and creates wonderful, lasting memories.’ (Source)

Let’s continue - History behind the magical materials

Start at the beginning – Yeti and Chewy learn all about magic