Speaker 1: History Versus is a production of I Heart Radio and
Speaker 1: Mental Flaws. It's June and illusionist Harry Houdini is hurrying
Speaker 1: through the crowded, smoggy streets of London, bound for the
Speaker 1: offices of the Hamburg America Line. He's on his way
Speaker 1: to pick up two certificates of passage on a luxurious
Speaker 1: German steamship called the S s Imperator, which will ferry
Speaker 1: him and his wife Bess home to New York later
Speaker 1: in the month. After a series of performances around Britain,
Speaker 1: Houdini will finally get a glorious break to rest and
Speaker 1: relax on the high seas before summer residence at Hammerstein's
Speaker 1: Victoria Theater in Manhattan. For five whole days, he won't
Speaker 1: have to hurry at all. Houdini skids to a stop
Speaker 1: in front of the Hamburg America building, strolls in, and
Speaker 1: gives his name to the man at the front desk.
Speaker 1: Before the man hands over the tickets, he beckons Houdini
Speaker 1: closer with a conspiratorial air of secrecy. Teddy Roosevelt is
Speaker 1: the boat. The man whispers in Houdini's ear, but don't
Speaker 1: tell anyone. Houdini accepts the tickets with a smile and
Speaker 1: slowly returns to the dull, cloudy daylight. He has no
Speaker 1: intention of sharing the secret, but not because loose lips
Speaker 1: sink ships. Instead, he's already hatching a plan, a plan
Speaker 1: to trick everyone's favorite, tough talking, rough riding former president
Speaker 1: from mental Flaws and I heart radio. This History Versus
Speaker 1: a podcast about how your favorite historical figures faced off
Speaker 1: against their greatest foes. I'm your host, Aaron McCarthy, And
Speaker 1: in this bonus episode, we're talking about Trs rather unlikely
Speaker 1: maritime friendship with Harry Houdini, who might have been one
Speaker 1: of the only people to succeed in leaving TR truly dumbfounded.
Speaker 1: This episode is t R versus Houdini. Spring of nine
Speaker 1: fourteen was an especially busy time for both tr and Houdini,
Speaker 1: though neither was ever really not busy. Still reeling from
Speaker 1: the death of his mother in July, Houdini had embarked
Speaker 1: on a rigorous tour of England and Scotland, where he
Speaker 1: captivated crowds by escaping from water tanks, swallowing needles, and
Speaker 1: making various objects people included disappear and reappear Meanwhile, Theodore
Speaker 1: Roosevelt was on a rigorous tour of his own. Fever
Speaker 1: and infection had almost killed him during his South American
Speaker 1: expedition along the River of Doubt that year, but even
Speaker 1: that wasn't enough to keep him home for long. He
Speaker 1: returned to New York on May nine and set sail
Speaker 1: for Europe just eleven days later. Once there, he spent
Speaker 1: the first half of June on a whirlwind continental jaunt
Speaker 1: that included visits to Paris, London, and Madrid, where he
Speaker 1: attended his son Kermit's wedding to Bell Willard. Roosevelt's daughter Alice,
Speaker 1: who accompanied him, described the trip as a movie run
Speaker 1: at several times life speed. On June eighteenth, tr left
Speaker 1: Alice and the newlyweds behind board in the SSM Perator
Speaker 1: in Southampton, England, with his cousin Philip Harry and Bess
Speaker 1: Houdini boarded the ship too. It's not clear if Tier
Speaker 1: and Houdini had ever actually met each other before the voyage,
Speaker 1: but they definitely attended the same event on land at
Speaker 1: least once, the Chicago World's Fair in officially called the
Speaker 1: World's Columbian Exposition. The event was meant to celebrate the
Speaker 1: four hundred anniversary of Christopher Columbus, so called Discovery of
Speaker 1: the New World. In four Roosevelt had funded a full
Speaker 1: scale architectural reproduction of a Hunter's cabin to commemorate Daniel
Speaker 1: Boone and Davy Crockett, and he attended the fair with
Speaker 1: his older sister Bamy, who had served on the organization's
Speaker 1: board of Lady Managers of New York. A nineteen year old,
Speaker 1: not yet famous Harry Houdini was also there, performing with
Speaker 1: his brother Theo in a magic act called The Brothers Houdini.
Speaker 1: Maybe tr caught the show, or maybe he became familiar
Speaker 1: with Houdini's incredible feats later in his career. Either way,
Speaker 1: the two men found each other on the s s
Speaker 1: and Periator and soon became fast friends. They started exercising
Speaker 1: together in the morning, at least when both of them
Speaker 1: were feeling up to it. Houdini was prone to seasickness
Speaker 1: and Roosevelt was still suffering abouts of fever from his
Speaker 1: Brazilian expedition. One morning, while they were taking a walk,
Speaker 1: a ship's officer stopped them and asked if Hudini might
Speaker 1: be willing to perform at a charity concert the following
Speaker 1: night to benefit the German Sailors Home and the Magician's
Speaker 1: Club of London. Go ahead, Houdini, Roosevelt goated, give us
Speaker 1: a little science. Judini agreed to what seemed like a
Speaker 1: completely spontaneous science, but in reality, it was all part
Speaker 1: of the cunning scheme that Houdini had been concocting ever
Speaker 1: since he found out tr would be on board. The
Speaker 1: story was recounted in full in a newspaper article by
Speaker 1: Harold Kelleck, which allegedly used Hudini's own words from unreleased
Speaker 1: autobiographical excerpts. Let's back up to when the ticket teller
Speaker 1: had divulged that Hudini would be sailing the high seas
Speaker 1: with Roosevelt. The magician remembered that the Telegraph had plans
Speaker 1: to publish the harrowing tale of Roosevelt's recent Amazonian expedition.
Speaker 1: After promising not to tell a soul that Roosevelt would
Speaker 1: be on board the Imperator, he wrote that he jumped
Speaker 1: into a taxi and went to the Telegraph office to
Speaker 1: see what he could pick up. His editorial friends readily
Speaker 1: obliged his request for information. They even handed over a
Speaker 1: map that charted Roosevelt's exact path along the river. That's
Speaker 1: when Udini decided to hold the science where he'd act
Speaker 1: like spirits were revealing the details of Roosevelt's trip, as
Speaker 1: yet undisclosed to the public. Houdini scheme didn't stop there.
Speaker 1: A less committed magician might have thought that any old
Speaker 1: spirits would do, but Houdini wasn't the best in the
Speaker 1: business for nothing. In his opinion, the ruse would be
Speaker 1: more convincing if the secrets were conveyed by one spirit,
Speaker 1: in particular W. T. Stead, a British editor and known
Speaker 1: spiritualist who had died on the Titanic in Udini had
Speaker 1: acquired some of his letters while in London. He planned
Speaker 1: for the seance to center around a certain slate trick
Speaker 1: common among mediums at the time. In it, a participant
Speaker 1: jots down a question on a piece of paper and
Speaker 1: slips it between two supposedly blank slates. Then a spirit
Speaker 1: writes heavy air quotes around that word by the way
Speaker 1: a response, and the performer reveals it to the audience.
Speaker 1: On the slates, Houdini had drawn the map of Roosevelt's
Speaker 1: trail and written the words near the andes He then
Speaker 1: forged stead signature on it to suggest that the message
Speaker 1: was sent straight from the afterlife. There was definitely still
Speaker 1: a lot up in the air when he left the
Speaker 1: Southampton Harbor, but Houdini had a plan for just about
Speaker 1: every detail. The fact that he wasn't scheduled to perform
Speaker 1: on the S S and Perator was sort of a
Speaker 1: non issue. According to him. He always staged in promptu
Speaker 1: shows during voyages, so it was probably no surprise when
Speaker 1: the crew member asked him to do one. And was
Speaker 1: it luck that tr happened to be standing there when
Speaker 1: the crew member asked, or had Houdini orchestrated the whole encounter.
Speaker 1: As for tr suggestion that Houdini conducted science, well, that
Speaker 1: wasn't exactly a coincidence. I found it easy to work
Speaker 1: the colonel into a state of mind so that the
Speaker 1: suggestion for the science would come from him, Houdini wrote,
Speaker 1: Though he didn't elaborate on what exactly he said about
Speaker 1: spiritualism during their conversation, he apparently convinced Roosevelt that a
Speaker 1: science was a spectacle worth seeing. Interestingly enough, Judini would
Speaker 1: make a name for himself as an anti spiritualist later
Speaker 1: in his career by debunking popular mediums, demonstrating that they
Speaker 1: were frauds by mimicking their techniques and revealing their trickery.
Speaker 1: Judini's next and most daunting hurdle was not only to
Speaker 1: guarantee that the question Roosevelt wrote on his slip of
Speaker 1: paper during the science was where was I Last Christmas?
Speaker 1: But also to ensure that it was Roosevelt's slip of
Speaker 1: paper that he chose. So the master manipulator prepared to
Speaker 1: stuff the ballot, so to speak, Judini copied where was
Speaker 1: I Last Christmas? Onto several sheets of paper, seal them
Speaker 1: in envelopes, and plan to make sure that only those
Speaker 1: envelopes ended up in the hat that he choose a
Speaker 1: question from. He was, after all, an absolute expert when
Speaker 1: it came to slight of hand tricks. But this is
Speaker 1: where Hohodini's plan gets a little questionable. If Roosevelt didn't
Speaker 1: write where was I Last Christmas? Yet that's the question
Speaker 1: Hudini spirit answered, it seems like there would be a
Speaker 1: pretty strong possibility that Roosevelt would say something like, wait,
Speaker 1: that wasn't my question. Maybe Hudini realized his strategy wasn't
Speaker 1: quite full proof, because he devised yet another backup plan.
Speaker 1: On the morning of the performance, Whodini noticed two books
Speaker 1: lying on a table in the salon where the performance
Speaker 1: would take place. After smuggling them back to his room,
Speaker 1: he sliced open their bindings with a razor blade and
Speaker 1: slipped a sheet of carbon paper and white paper beneath
Speaker 1: the cover. Then he carefully resealed the books and returned
Speaker 1: them to the salon. As long as Roosevelt used one
Speaker 1: of those books as a flat surface to write on,
Speaker 1: the carbon paper would transfer his question to the white
Speaker 1: sheet below it. That way, who Dennie could sneak a
Speaker 1: glance at the question even after the envelope was sealed
Speaker 1: and alter his performance accordingly. Would everything work out according
Speaker 1: to Hudini's plan, we'll find out after this quick break.
Speaker 1: The evening of the seance, the ship's occupants gathered in
Speaker 1: the Grand Salon and enjoyed the musical talents of the
Speaker 1: Ritz Carlton Orchestra and opera singer Madame a Cortasio. Then
Speaker 1: Hudini took the stage. He conjured silk handkerchiefs, he turned
Speaker 1: water into wine. He even let tr choose the cards
Speaker 1: during a series of card tricks. I was amazed at
Speaker 1: the way he watched every one of the misdirection moves
Speaker 1: as I manipulated the cards. Hudini recounted, it was difficult
Speaker 1: to baffle him under the watchful gaze of a very
Speaker 1: astute bull Moose. Houdini turned to the audience, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 1: He proclaimed, I am sure that many among you have
Speaker 1: had experiences with mediums who have been able to facilitate
Speaker 1: the answering of your personal questions by departed spirits, these
Speaker 1: answers being mysteriously produced on slates. As we all know,
Speaker 1: mediums do their work in the darkened science room. But tonight,
Speaker 1: for the first time anywhere, I propose to conduct a
Speaker 1: spiritualistic slate test in the full glare of the light.
Speaker 1: He distributed the slips of paper and instructed the audience
Speaker 1: to jot down their questions. Seeing that Roosevelt was about
Speaker 1: to use his hand as a writing service, Judini generously
Speaker 1: passed him a book. Tire wasn't the only quick witted
Speaker 1: gentleman in the audience that night. Broadway composer Victor Herbert
Speaker 1: surveyed the scene and offered a few shrewd words of
Speaker 1: caution to his companion, turn around. Don't let him see it,
Speaker 1: Hudinie heard Herbert Warren Roosevelt. He will read the question
Speaker 1: by the movements of the top of the pencil. Tr
Speaker 1: took his advice, turning his back to Hudini, so he
Speaker 1: couldn't be tricked, Or so he thought. That made no
Speaker 1: difference to me, Judini wrote, because, of course, the book
Speaker 1: he had passed to tr was one of the books
Speaker 1: he'd prepared with carbon paper hidden under the cover. After
Speaker 1: Roosevelt finished writing, Hudini took the book and slightly extracted
Speaker 1: the paper from the inside cover while returning it to
Speaker 1: the table. In an almost unbelievable stroke of luck, Roosevelt
Speaker 1: had written the very question Hudini had hoped for, so
Speaker 1: Hudini wouldn't need to slip one of his own envelopes
Speaker 1: between the slates after all. In fact, he didn't even
Speaker 1: pick a question from the hat. I am sure that
Speaker 1: there will be no objection if we use the Colonel's question,
Speaker 1: he said to general assent from the audience. They all
Speaker 1: watched as Houdini flash would appeared to be four blank
Speaker 1: sides of the slates. This was another little trick Judini
Speaker 1: had really only shown them three sides, obscuring the fourth
Speaker 1: so they wouldn't see the map. Then Houdini asked tr
Speaker 1: to place his envelope between the slates and tell his
Speaker 1: question to the audience. Where was I last Christmas? Tr said.
Speaker 1: Houdini revealed the map to an utterly astonished audience by George,
Speaker 1: that proves it, tr roared over thunderous applause. The next morning,
Speaker 1: tr interrupted their customary walk along the upper deck with
Speaker 1: a question he had probably been pondering since the stunt.
Speaker 1: How did you do it last night? He asked Tudini.
Speaker 1: Was that really spiritualism? Houdini later recounted that he grinned
Speaker 1: and responded, no, Colonel, it is all hocus pocus. According
Speaker 1: to article from the New York Times, however, Judini claimed
Speaker 1: that he maintained the charade and told Tire that it
Speaker 1: really was spirit writing. Regardless, it doesn't seem like tr
Speaker 1: ever got the full explanation. He died in nineteen years
Speaker 1: before newspapers shared these behind the scenes secrets with the public.
Speaker 1: Houdini's hijinks aboard the s sm Periator did make an
Speaker 1: immediate splash in the papers. The ship's radio operator recounted
Speaker 1: the story to operators in Newfoundland, who then related to
Speaker 1: journalists in New York. Oddly, though, those early news reports
Speaker 1: give a slightly different question that Houdini actually did choose
Speaker 1: from a hat, which was can you draw a map
Speaker 1: tracing the recent journey made by our most famous passenger?
Speaker 1: So are those reports wrong or was Houdini playing one
Speaker 1: last trick on everyone? The world may never know the truth, regardless,
Speaker 1: news of the renowned magician's latest trick hit stands before
Speaker 1: the ship even reached the harbor. The rest of the
Speaker 1: voyage passed without any more magic, unless you count the
Speaker 1: magic of being in love. On June twenty two, the
Speaker 1: night after the performance, the Houdini celebrated their twentieth anniversary
Speaker 1: by hosting a delicious dinner of caviare and several fine
Speaker 1: French dishes. Considering his close companionship with Houdini, tr might
Speaker 1: have attended the event, but it's also possible he was
Speaker 1: busy with other things. I have been working hard, finishing
Speaker 1: my book on Africa and eating my Pittsburgh speech, he
Speaker 1: told The New York Times on June, shortly before the
Speaker 1: ship arrived in New York, He had also made time
Speaker 1: on June twenty two for what he called a thorough
Speaker 1: inspection of the Imperator with its commander. The Bosom buddies
Speaker 1: parted ways when they reached New York, and it doesn't
Speaker 1: seem like they ever got a chance to hang out again.
Speaker 1: But Houdini, for one, always made it clear that he
Speaker 1: was proud of his friendship with tr During the voyage,
Speaker 1: he had arranged to have their photograph taken together by
Speaker 1: his assistant. Five other men ended up in the photo,
Speaker 1: including Tiar's cousin Philip, and Hudini later produced several copies
Speaker 1: of the photo without the other men. He also called
Speaker 1: tr Our beloved Colonel in one letter, and referred to
Speaker 1: himself as a close personal friend of the colonels for
Speaker 1: years in another. Houdini would eventually go on to perform
Speaker 1: for Tier's grandchildren at a party in February, six years
Speaker 1: after tr died. Ted jrs Son, who was also named
Speaker 1: Theodore Roosevelt and had been born just days before the
Speaker 1: legendary say ounce in, proved just as difficult to baffle
Speaker 1: as his namesake. Judini said in a newspaper article he
Speaker 1: was not satisfied with seeing the tricks, he had to
Speaker 1: know how they were done. We'll be back soon with
Speaker 1: another episode of History Versus History Versus is hosted by
Speaker 1: me Aeron McCarthy. This episode was written by Ellen Gatusky,
Speaker 1: with fact checking by Austin Thompson. The executive producers are
Speaker 1: Aaron McCarthy, Julie Douglas, and Tyler Clang. The supervising producer
Speaker 1: is Dylan Fagan. The show was edited by Dylan Fagan
Speaker 1: and Little Berlante. To learn more about this episode and
Speaker 1: Theodore Roosevelt, check out our website and Mental floss dot com.
Speaker 1: Slash History Versus History Versus is a production of I
Speaker 1: Heart Radio and Mental Floss. For more podcasts from my
Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcast,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.