Houdini was born Ehrich Weisz on March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary, but for much of his life he claimed he was born on April 6, 1874 in Appleton, Wisconsin, US.

The family is believed to have emigrated to the US in 1876.

Young Ehrich sold newspapers and shined shoes to help support the family.

Ehrich claimed October 28, 1883 as the date of his first appearance before an audience. The nine-year-old performed on a trapeze hung from a tree while wearing red socks made by his mother. He billed himself as "Ehrich, the Prince of the Air".

Houdini's professional career began at 17, performing magic shows in small venues and at New York's Coney Island amusement park.

Houdini married fellow aspiring performer Beatrice Raymond in 1894 and reportedly wrote her a love letter every day. His big break came after they moved to England in 1900, where he freed himself from handcuffs with his arms wrapped around a pillar at Scotland Yard.

Houdini's escapes, including jumping handcuffed into rivers, lead to international fame and he returned to the United States in 1905.

His fascination with flight began in 1909 after the Wright brothers' successful flight.

After World War I, Houdini became an actor, starring in a number of films. He later formed a production company.

Houdini suffered a burst appendix when, to prove he could take any blow, he allowed a student to punch him in the stomach. The student unleashed a blow before Houdini could tighten his stomach muscles.

The injury led to peritonitis and he died in hospital on October 31, 1926.

Source: Excerpts from the 1995 biography, Harry Houdini, by Adam Woog.