Harry Houdini Died in Detroit 100 Years Ago Today, and the Mystery Still Won't Let Go

On October 31, 1926, Harry Houdini died in Detroit at age 52, a century ago today. Weeks earlier, a college wrestler in Montreal had punched him several times in the abdomen, an attack Houdini reportedly invited to prove his toughness. The punches ruptured his appendix. He still refused to cancel his Detroit shows, finishing a performance at the Garrick Theater before collapsing during intermissions and being carried from the building. He died at Grace Hospital after two surgeries.

The Houdini who played Detroit 19 times between 1894 and 1926 never stopped performing, and his wife Bess kept the show going after his death, holding séances for a decade before she officially gave up in 1936. His Detroit haunts are gone now, but the lore has outlived the buildings. Curators like Jeremy Dimick at the Detroit Historical Museum keep the story alive, and locals still joke they’re not going back into the kitchen in case Houdini shows up.

Tonight, on the actual centennial, the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan, hosts a séance. As one staffer notes, the greatest publicity stunt Houdini ever pulled off may have been dying on Halloween. He’s been gone a hundred years and we’re still tuned in. Would you attend a Houdini séance if it popped up near you?