John Henry Anderson: (1814-874) Scots born Anderson was one of the first to take magic from the streets and into theaters. The wizard of the north advertised his name everywhere- from pats of butter and city sidewalks to the pyramids and Niagara Falls. Although he made several fortunes, he eventually died bankrupt.
David Berglas: (b. 1926) The president of the Magic Circle specializes in mind reading and astonishing feats of memory- as well as a pickpocketing act. He has starred in TV series in Britain, Holland, Germany and Sweden.
Harry Blackstone, Sr. : (1885-1965) Chicago- born Harry Boughton performed under several names before settling on Blackstone in 1918. By the end of the 1930's he was America's top illusionst. He stopped touring in the 1950's, but continued to appear on TV until his retirement in 1959. Blackstone was the first magician to feature in a series of comic book adventures-a measure of his success
Harry Blackstone, Jr. :(b. 1934) This TV star began by assisting his father during school and college vacations,eventually becoming a professional magician in 1954. His show includes several items made famous by his father- such as the dancing Handkerchief and the Floating lightbulb
Signor Antonio Blitz:(1810-1877) When he went on tour in the United States, Blitz claimed to be Moravian to add an air of mystery to his act. In fact, he was short, British, and very funny. One of his famous tricks was the bullet catch, but he dropped it from his repotoire when audience volunteers put brass tacks and other lethal objects in the gun barrel. When he died, several performers borrowed his name as their stage name,because he had been so popular
Bartolomeo Bosco:(1793-1863) This Italian magician was a master of close up magic. So great was his expertise with the cups and balls that they were engraved on his tombstone.
Matthew Buchinger:(1674-1740) Known as the little man of Nuremburg, this amazing magician was born without hands or legs. In spite of these disabilities, he was a master of the cups and balls, as well as being a fine calligrapher
Lance Burton:(b. 1960) Inspired by Channing Pollock, Lance Burton became a professional magician in 1980. He is now one of the worlds leading magicians and has his own show in Las Vegas
Kuda Bux:(1905-1981) Mind reader Kuda Bux originally came from Kashmir, India. He made his name first in Britain and then in the Unite States as the man with X-Ray Eyes, because he could see through the thickest blindfold
Cardini:(1895-1975) Richard Valentine Pitchford was born in Wales, but he achieved world wide fame as Cardini. With top hat and tails, and a monocle in one eye, he played the part of a tipsy man puzzled by the sudden appearance and disappearance of cards, billiard balls, and other objects. His silent act is still regarded the best of its kind.
Carlton:(1881-1942) London-born Arthur Carlton Philps was called the Human Matchstick or the Human Hairpin because of his long, thin shape(exagerated by makeup, a false balding dome and platform shoes). This shape, plus a squeaky voice and wickedly clever conjuring made him a comedy star across the globe.
Charles Carter:(1874-1936) Carter performed his firstshow when he was just 10 years old. Master Chas Carter, America's Youngest Prestidigitator, became Carter the Great and toured the world with lavish illusions. He performed all the classics, from sleight of hand and levitation, to sawing a woman in two or turning a lion into himself. He died of a heart attack in Bombay, India.
Chung Ling Soo:(1861-1918) William Ellsworth Robinson was born in New York City and worked as a stage manager for Harry Kellar and Alexander Herrman. He then shaved his head and staged a Chinese act as Chung Ling Soo. With spectacular illusions and clever publicity, he won worldwide fame. His career was cut short when he was fatally wounded in a performance of his bullet catch at the Wood Green Empire, London.
David Copperfield:(b. 1956) I am not going to include a historical description of this man because he sucks. This website is my property and it is my constitutional right to announce the truth of this unimaginative hack.
Paul Daniels:(b. 1938) Britain's leading magician got the magic bug after reading a book on the subject when he was 11. He gave his first performance a few years later, and became a professional magician in 1969. Within a year he was the top magician in Britain and has remained so to this day.
Dante:(1883-1955) Harry August Jansen emigrated from Denmark to the US with his parents when he was six. He became an avid magician after seeing Alexander Herrmann. In 1922 he was hired by Howard Thurston,who gave him the stage name Dante and sent him out on tour. In 1936 he opened at the Alhambra Theatre, London, with his own show. Sim Sala Bim- these were three nonsense lines from a Danish nursery rhyme which were his trademark, spoken as he acknowledged applause.
Dedi:(c. 2500 b.c.) Dedi's performance before King Khufu, the buider of the Great Pyramid at Giza, took place about 4,500 years ago. The Westcar Papyrus records that he mostly cut off the heads of birds and other animals and then made them whole again.
David Devant:(1868-1941) Still regarded as one of Britains greatest magicians, David Devant was born David Wighton He performed at Egyptian Hall and then, in partnership with J.N. Maskelyne at St. Georges Hall in London. He became the first president of the Magic Circle in 1905. Devant was also profilic writer, teacher and inventor of magic. His most famous illusion is probably the Artists Dream-a picture of a girl is magically transformed into life but then returns to being a picture.
Buatier de Kolta:(1847-1903) This Frenchman is unusual in the history of magic-not because he trained first to be a priest and then an artist,but because most of his tricks were his own inventions. Many of de Kolta's inventions(such as the flying birdcage and the Vanishing Lady)are performed to this day. Sadly, he died of Bright's disease on tour of the US.
Ludwig Dobler:(1801-1864) Ludwig Leopold Dobler was a dazzling succes. He was the first magician to have a street named after him-Doblergasse, in Vienna, Austria. His show opened with him lighting 200 candles with a single pistol shot. After tours across Europe and performances for royalty, he retired to his country estate with a fortune.
Thomas Nelson Downs:(1867-1938) American Tommy Nelson Downs was renowned throughout the world as the King of Koins. He invented Coin tricks and wrote books on the subject. His most famous trick was the production of dozens of coins from thin air- He called it the Misers Dream, and it is still known by this name.
Joseph Dunniger:(1892-1975) Joseph Dunniger saw Kellar at the age of 7 and was a professional at 16. For 35 years he was the worlds greatest mentalist. On highly paid TV and radio shows, he solved impossible questions set by the audience or a guest celebrity. However, he gave away some trade secrets and was expelled by the National Conjurers Association.
Issac Fawkes:(c. 1675-1731) Fawkes was probably born in London, but little is known about him until