1 [caption]: ==Mythbusters== Houdini Escape
2 Jamie: Today's myth is that it's possible to escape from these bonds.
2 Adam: Yawn...
2 Jamie: While underwater.
2 Adam: Cool!
3 Jamie: Without any safety precautions.
4 Adam: Wait, really?
4 Jamie: Nah, I'm just yanking your chain.

Harry Houdini, born Erik Weisz, was and remains perhaps the most famous stage magician and escape artist in history. He was also a noted sceptic, and spent much of his later life debunking claims of spiritualists, psychics, and mediums.

Ironically there exists a tradition to this day of magicians to try to contact Houdini's departed spirit at séances. This is not quite as strange as it sounds, because prior to his death, Houdini agreed with his wife Bess that if he passed away and his spirit ever returned to Earth he would utter a secret codeword that only she knew, to prove it was him. In this way he planned to foil any claims by charlatan mediums that they had contacted him. Bess held séances on the night of Halloween for ten years after Houdini's death, but never heard the code word. She gave up at this point, but other magicians continued the tradition.