1800s

The century of the 1800s.

Century: 1500s|1600s|1700s|1800s|1900s|2000s All Years | Timeline of Magic Books published in the 1800s More about 1800s on Wikipedia

Selected Magic Events By Year

(click on date to see all magic events in that year)

• 1800 - Library of Congress, is established and goes on to contain all magic books formally copyrighted in the US

• 1801 - Ludwig Leopold Doebler, who toured England, Austria, Germany, Russia and France with his magic, is born,

• 1802 - Rational Recreations Vol 4, by Dr. W. Hooper, is published

• 1805 - Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, often credited as the 'father of modern magic', is born

• 1806 - Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser, who specialized in card magic and manipulations, is born

• 1808 - The New Art of Hocus Pocus Revived is published

• 1809 - The magician Torrini, some sources believe, performs the first version of Sawing a woman in half in front of Pope Pius VII. This, however, is greatly debated.

• 1810 - P. T. Barnum, an American showman famous for founding the circuses that would later become the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, in born

• 1811 - Richard Potter performs an An Evening's Brush to Sweep Away Care, or a Medley to Please, at the Columbian Museum in Boston

• 1812 - Bartolomeo Bosco, is taken prisoner and finds his extraordinary talent for performing

• 1813 - Alfred Sylvester, the Fakir of Oolu, is born

• 1814 - The first recorded performence of pulling a white rabbit from a top hat is performed by Louis Comte

• 1815 - St. John Bosco, who taught spiritual values through magic, making him an early, if not the first, performer of modern Gospel Magic, is born

• 1816 - Compars Herrmann, who pursued a career as a magician and served as a role model and inspiration for Alexander Herrmann, is born

• 1817 - Wiljalba Frikell, a German magician who developed an act without the usual equipment on stage, is born

• 1818 - Kia Khan Khruse is shot by a spectator during a performance of the Bullet Catch

• 1820 - Dennis Hendrick, performs a blindfold walk, a predecessor to the Blindfold Drive

• 1821 - John Henry Pepper, a chemical engineer who developed the Pepper's Ghost illusion, is born

• 1822 - Diagrammes chimiques (chemical diagrams), a book by Henri Decremps, is published

• 1823 - Eugene Bosco, credited with the invention of the Sand Frame, is born

• 1824 - Chemische Belustigungen Nürnberg (ie Nuremberg Chemical Amusements), a reprint of Chemical Amusement, is published

• 1825 - George Alfred Cooke, partner of J.N. Maskelyne, is born

• 1826 - "Torrini" De Grisy, is killed when he is accidentally shot by his son, Giovanni, during a performance of the bullet catch

• 1827 - Manuel de chimie amusante - A French translation of Chemical Amusement, by J. Riffault, is published.

• 1828 - Samuel Bellachini, one of the most popular conjurerers in Germany in his time, is born.

• 1829 - George Heubeck, who played 8 straight years at his theater in Vienna, is born.

• 1830 - John Henry Anderson starts his career appearing on the stage with a traveling dramatic company.

• 1831 - The "Double-sighted Phenomenon", an eight-year-old Scottish boy, performs Second Sight.

• 1832 - Thomas W. Yost, a magic dealer and one of the early pioneers in the manufacturing magical apparatus, is born.

• 1833 - Founding of Chicago, a hub of magic.

• 1834 - Ching Lau Lauro, who started out as a juggler, adds magic and ventriloquism to his act

• 1835 - The National Theatre, a venue for a variety of live stage productions in Washington, D.C., opens

• 1836 - Joseph Michael Hartz, a pioneer Vaudeville performer, is born

• 1837 - Henry Hatton, who wrote the "Lessons in Magic" series, is born

• 1838 - The Royal Polytechnic, a permanent science-related fair, opens

• 1839 - Louis Haselmayer, the "Prince of Prestidigitators, Magician, Necromancer, Musician, and Educator of Birds, is born

• 1840 - John Henry Anderson settles in London and opens the New Strand Theatre

• 1841 - The words 'hypnosis' and 'hypnotism' are coined by James Braid, circa. 1841

• 1842 - The term psychometry was coined by Joseph Rodes Buchanan

• 1843 - Charles De Vere, who ran a magic shop in London, is born

• 1844 - Alexander Herrmann, better known as "The Great Herrmann" and "Herrman the Great", is born

• 1845 - Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin makes his debut as a magician

• 1846 - Richard Van Dien, who went on to become a President of the Society of American Magicians, is born

• 1847 - Oscar Teale, an architect, researcher and illustrator, is born

• 1848 - Ludwig Leopold Doebler retires from stage

• 1849 - The Aerial Suspension is first performed, as a feature of Robert-Houdin

• 1850 - G. W. Hunter, noted for his close-up magic and inventions, is born