91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Plaque

Hippodrome - Harry Houdini

Erection date: 3/10/2013

Inscription

Escape artist, Harry Houdini, appeared here February to April 1904, with the Mirror handcuff challenge.
The Hippodrome Theatre
"My brain is the key that sets me free"

The plaque refers to the London Daily Mirror newspaper which challenged Houdini to escape from special handcuffs. On 17 March 1904 during a matinee performance Houdini took the challenge and, apparently, struggled for an hour to escape. He succeeded but there is debate still about whether the Mirror colluded in the trick.

Site: Hippodrome performers (4 memorials)

WC2, Cranbourn Street, Hippodrome casino

Left to right down the plaques are: Forsyth, Davis, Garland, Houdini, which we think is the sequence of erection.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Hippodrome - Harry Houdini

Subjects commemorated i

Daily Mirror newspaper

Tabloid newspaper.  Created by Alfred Harmsworth, initially as a paper for wo...

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Harry Houdini

Escape artist.  Born Erik Weisz in Budapest.  Later names include: Ehrich Wei...

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Hippodrome - Harry Houdini

Created by i

London Hippodrome

From Hippodrome Casino: "Originally opened in 1900 by the renowned theatre ar...

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Hippodrome - Harry Houdini

Also at this site i

Hippodrome - Bruce Forsyth

Hippodrome - Bruce Forsyth

Sir Bruce appeared eight times between May 1964 and February 1981 and unveile...

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Hippodrome - Judy Garland

Hippodrome - Judy Garland

Judy Garland, 1922 - 1969, "The greatest entertainer who ever lived" performe...

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Hippodrome - Sammy Davis Jr.

Hippodrome - Sammy Davis Jr.

Unveiled by Bruce Forsyth.

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Nearby Memorials

Guy Gibson

Guy Gibson

NW8, Aberdeen Place, 32

English Heritage Guy Gibson VC, 1918 - 1944, pilot, leader of the Dambusters Raid, lived here.

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Hackney Salvation Army - 3 - T. E. Young

Hackney Salvation Army - 3 - T. E. Young

E8, Mare Street, 280

Built for the Salvation Army in 1910. Their Women's Social Work HQ moved here in 1911 from offices at another nearby Salvation Army addr...

1 subject commemorated
Percy & Mary Shelley

Percy & Mary Shelley

WC1, Marchmont Street, 87

After their elopement in July 1814 the Shelleys lived here with Claire Clairmont, Mary's step-sister. Their son was born, presumably here...

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Ravenhill

Ravenhill

SW17, Church Lane

From Morden: "1824. Needful to enlarge the school, .. to ask Mr, Rice if he would sell adjoining cottage.. He declined to sell. Two new S...

1 subject commemorated
A. J. Avery

A. J. Avery

SE11, Kennington Lane, Tommyfield, 185

A Lambeth paper reports that Charlie Chaplin, who was born in 1889 and brought up nearby, remembers sitting on the pavement outside this ...

1 subject commemorated