Today I’m spilling the beans on how the crafty conjurer Harry Houdini performed one of his most famous tricks:

Escaping from handcuffs.

(spoiler alert:  if you don’t want to know the secrets, look away now)

Houdini would travel from town to town, daring the locals to come up with inescapable handcuffs.

Unbeknownst to the townsfolk, a small advanced party from Houdini’s camp would roll into town a few days before.

This group would mosey around, casually visiting locksmiths, ironmongers and police departments to gather as much intel as they could about the types of handcuffs Houdini was likely to face. 

See, some handcuffs could be opened without too much fuss. 

Houdini could use the strength of his wrists to bend the metal and force the cuffs open.  And sometimes he could slip his hands out by dislocating his thumbs.

But not all handcuffs could be opened this way.  Some required more preparation.

They might need a key or a lock pick to open...

A file or tiny saw…

And some could only be opened by string.

And anyone looking closely – REALLY closely – at a Houdini handcuff escape might’ve spotted something strange:

A sixth finger on Houdini’s hand.

A hollow, flesh coloured finger which contained a duplicate key, file or piece of string.

Which, with some sleight of hand, Houdini could use to break free.

So what looked like a spontaneous escape to the townsfolk was actually a cold, calculated pre-ordained stunt. 

And what looked like a miracle was as mundane and humdrum as it comes.

Now, to my mind this points to two things.

The first is the importance of preparation.  

As any good boy-scout knows: always be prepared.

But the second is more subtle.

And it links to a quote from the stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings.

She said this about going on stage: 

“My work isn’t done tonight. My work was done 3 months ago, and I just have to show up”.

Reminds me of Houdini.

Before the handcuffs even went round his wrists, Houdini knew how he’d escape.  He didn’t need to figure it out in the moment.  He just had to follow his plan.

And there’s something I find re-assuring about this way of thinking.

In particular, knowing that once crunch time comes, there’s nothing more you can do. 

The prep has already been done.  So all you need to do is turn up.

That's all for today.

Catch you tomorrow.

 - Tom

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