The History Of Magic

Dec 7, 2007
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Thats kind of a hard subject... No one really knows what happened who started it or any of that stuff, people may think they know who it is or what happened but no one really does. I honestly think it just happened as people who enjoyed performing the thrill of reactions the joy of dazzling people. People probably just used a lot of simple logic that most people wouldnt even consider to fool people maybe for fun or for money who really knows...
 
Nov 30, 2007
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Robert Houdin

For anyone that doesn't know..and I am pretty sure you prbably all know. Harry Houdini got his name from the magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.
I think he was a French magician. He was an older magician and Harry Houdini looked up to him. I think Harry Houdini put the i on the end because it meant "like" I think. So when Harry Houdini put the i on the end of houdin it meant "like houdin". I am not sure if I am right on that. Later Harry Houdini would reveal Robert-Houdin's secrets and tricks. Happy Holidays!!!

-Hunter
 
Nov 12, 2007
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i believe that first, people either saw real magic, or saw what they believed to be real magic... and then after realizing they had no special powers, began to make it look like or seem like they could do things that not everyone could do, not to fool people, just to entertain, to be the "life of the party" so to speak... but there is definatly no true beggining of magic, it just kind of gradually grew and still continues growing. and as people reveal more secerets, we have to improve what we do. instead of just being left to improve if we want to. which is kind of a pain.
 
Oct 18, 2007
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I'm going off David Blaine's book Mysterious Stranger here, so I'm not sure exactly how reliable it is--great book by the way.

According to Blaine the first magic trick we have record of being performed was by an ancient Egyptian magician for one of the Pharaohs responsible for building the great pyramids at Giza. The magician pulled the head off a duck, put the head down on the ground, took several steps away just to show that the head was really off, and then he picked the head back up and restored it on the duck which promptly started quacking and waddling about again.

So, there's the first recorded magic trick in history. But that doesn't mean that they weren't performing magic long before Egypt and that it just wasn't recorded.
 
Nov 2, 2007
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Norway
i believe that first, people either saw real magic, or saw what they believed to be real magic... and then after realizing they had no special powers, began to make it look like or seem like they could do things that not everyone could do, not to fool people, just to entertain, to be the "life of the party" so to speak... but there is definatly no true beggining of magic, it just kind of gradually grew and still continues growing. and as people reveal more secerets, we have to improve what we do. instead of just being left to improve if we want to. which is kind of a pain.

2000 years ago if a guy was able to make everyone believe he could do magic. he would use it to gain power.

in stories a king often has a mage or wizard by his side. sure in the story its real magic. same scenario in real life however the mage or wizard is just like todays magicians, psychics etc.

but todays magician says it openly. i cant do real magic, its all a trick. but the tricks are so unreal to the spectator's eyes that it might as well be magic.
 
Nov 20, 2007
71
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Books

If you are interested in the history of magic You should buy The Illustrated History of Magic. Anyone else know of other books that cover the subject in detail and I dont just mean a small section but the whole book.
 
Sep 1, 2007
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Cups and Balls and Bullet Catch were the first effects to be performed as magic tricks?

I am not 100% sure though.

The bullet catch the first magic trick? Considering sleight of hand has been around long before firearms, that's pretty impressive.

Seriously though, a thread on the history of magic... Where do you start?
 
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