Funny holidays - International Day of Illusionists

Frenchman Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, born at the beginning of the 19th century, is considered the founder of modern circus magic and an unsurpassed master of magic tricks His talent was inspired by Harry Houdini and Ed Marlowe, David Copperfield and John Maskelyne, Igor and Emil Keogh, Harutyun and Hmayak Akopyan The names of these illusionists are widely known to fans of the circus - the most spectacular art form The magicians show viewers how to open safes, escape from a locked box, free themselves from shackles in the icy abyss, manipulate cards, materialize rabbits and pigeons, saw people up and other tricks The skill of illusionists is the result of daily hours of training, to which future magicians, such as Harry Houdini, devoted their childhood years This "lord of shackles", known as "the man who works miracles", began performing magic at the age of 10 and achieved unsurpassed heights in the profession March 24, 1874, the date of Houdini's birth, is significant for fans and followers of the craft Some of his tricks, such as the disappearance of a female elephant in front of 6,000 spectators, are still not solved In memory of the legendary magician, International Day of Illusionists was established in 2014, which is celebrated annually on March 24 Magicians and sorcerers performing in the circus use sleight of hand, the ability to telepathy and hypnosis, and special technical devices and equipment to perform tricks Thus, Houdini had a large number of master keys in his assortment for opening locks On tour in Russia in 1903, the magician managed to escape from the Butyrka prison in Moscow and appear before the audience in a suit instead of the prisoner's uniform he had previously worn In 1908, Harry Houdini escaped from death row in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St Petersburg The first illusionists, materializing jewelry and statues of gods, appeared in Ancient Egypt more than 5 thousand years ago In the Middle Ages, magicians were persecuted by the Inquisition, equating them, along with witches, with messengers of the devil Magicians gained universal recognition only during the Age of Enlightenment Today, the International Society of Illusionists has 41,000 members living in different parts of the globe Not a single circus performance is complete without the performances of magicians Illusionists (from the French illusionner - “to mislead”) have both sleight of hand and the ability to distract the public by using people’s psychological characteristics when demonstrating tricks The founders of the Russian and Soviet school of magicians include Mikhail Kuni (1897-1972) Like Wolf Messing (1899-1974), this illusionist became famous for his hypnosis sessions, telepathic performances and psychological experiments To the most famous magicians of the early twentieth century refers to Alli-Vad At his performances, Alexander Alekseevich Vadimov-Markelov, that was the real name of the magician, pierced an assistant with a needle, materialized live fish and coins, released girls from a hexagonal “tambourine” and performed other tricks Emile Hirschfeld-Renard (1894-1965), founder of the Keogh dynasty, performed on stage with a similar magic box that was part of a rejuvenation attraction An elderly woman entered it and, after manipulation, turned into a young girl His sons, Emil and Igor Kio, became illusionists Harutyun Hakobyan (1918-2005), another founder of the circus dynasty, perfectly mastered the skill of manipulation With deft and refined movements of his fingers, he shredded posters and playbills, later presenting them to the public in their entirety, performing with virtually no props Hmayak Hakobyan, the winner of many international competitions, became a follower of his father’s traditions International Illusionist Day is an excellent occasion to remember the Soviet magician Cleo Dorotti (1900-1974), Marches (1894-1961), and other magicians Friends, relatives and colleagues congratulate all circus performers performing stunts, magic tricks, telepathy and hypnosis sessions on the holiday, wishing to achieve great heights in their chosen profession