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Magicpedia:Selected anniversaries/May
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_1
- 1882 - Sir Evelyn Francis Edward Seymour, 17th Duke of Somerset, President of The Magic Circle (1935-1954), is born.
- 1970 - Roland Travers died.
- 1980 - Doug Henning appears on The Muppet Show, performing such effects slicing up a huge monster then putting it back together in a different order.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_2
- 1949 - Julien Proskauer wrote a letter to Ed Dart.
- 1987 - Eighty years after Psycho's retirement from the stage, John Gaughan acquired the mechanism and in 1966 restored Psycho to working order. The cabinetry, machinery, face, and hands are original, dating from 1878. It was premiered in Chicago at the Magic Collector's Weekend.
- 2000 - Viking Mfg. Co. owned and operated by George and Carol Robinson merged with Collectors' Workshop owned and operated by Rich Bloch and Nick Ruggiero.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_3
- 1766 - Excerpt from the Whitehall Evening Post: "I have peeped behind the Scenes ....and by examining the wires and mechanism of the show, the entertainment has long since ceased. Who Is any longer Entertained with a Hocus Pocus Man? when he knows how the tricks are performed?" Lady Mary Wortley Montague: Letter to Miss......." (Gleanings from an Amateur Escamateur's Scrap Book by Henry R. Evans)
- 1886 - Percy Abbott was born in Australia.
- 1936 - A lengthy newspaper article recounted some of the interesting things from Jasper Maskelyne's newly published book, White Magic: The Story of the Maskelynes, and reproduced a picture of Douglas Beaufort (who appeared in the Egyptian Hall in 1892) holding his own head in his hand.
- 1947 - Doug Henning was born in the Winnipeg suburb of Fort Gary, Manitoba Canada.
- 1977 - Herbert Nivelli dies.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_4
- 1865 - Servais Le Roy was born.
- 1925 - Robert Lund was born in Saginaw, Michigan.
- 1926 - Harry Lorayne was born.
- 1995 - Will Rock died.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_5
- 1828 - Samuel Bellachini was born in Poland.
- 1996 - Rudy Coby Ridiculously Dangerous debuted on Fox TV.
- 1998 - Episode 3 of Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed by Val Valentino airs on the FOX Network.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_6
- 1891 - Al Saal was born.
- 1918 - Return of Henry Clive in sleight of Hand at the Newark Palace.
- 1975 - The Magic Show with Doug Henning plays at the National Theatre (Washington, D.C.).
- 1988 - Bill Simon died.
- 1993 - Will Alma died.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_7
- 1872 - Frank Ducrot, one time owner of the Martinka magic shop, was born T. Francis Fritz.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_8
- 1905 - T. Page Wright was born.
- 1927 - Frank Garcia was born.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_9
- 1877 - Frederick Culpitt was born Frederick Cull Pitt.
- 1898 - Paul Fox was born Paul Fuchs in Chillicothe, Ohio.
- 1911 - The Great Lafayette died in a fire, four days before the opening of a show at the Empire Theater in Edinburgh.
- 1956 - The Amazing Dunninger TV series began airing on ABC.
- 2000 - Viking Magic Company (owned and operated by George and Carol Robinson) acquired the entire assets of Collector's Workshop (owned and operated by Rich Bloch and Nick Ruggiero) becoming "Magic of Viking Magic Co. and Collectors' Workshop".
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_10
- 1877 - The Great Raymond (Maurice Francois Saunders) was born.
- 1902 - The Society of American Magicians is founded at Martinka's Magic Shop in New York City, New York.
- 1910 - Beatrice Foster marries Howard Thurston.
- 1947 - 26th Annual Knights of Magic at the Barbizon Plaza, New York.
- 2005 - Jay Marshall passes away.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_11
- 1928 - Max Auzinger, credited with the discovery of Black art, died.
- 1940 - Ralph Read's grand old mother passes away.
- 1969 - Phoa Yan Tiong appeared in the Ed Sullivan Show.
- 2008 - Herb Zarrow, famous for his Zarrow Shuffle, died.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_12
- 1895 - Walter Irving Scott born.
- 1955 - Victor Farelli passes away.
- 2006 - "Keith Barry: Extraordinary" aired on CBS.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_13
- 1889 - Will B. Wood of Shamokin, Pennsylvania, noted vaudeville magician, took out U.S. Patents #415084 and #415085 covering devices "to support actor in midair" and "A Metal Corset for Theatrical Purpose".
- 1906 - Ronald Haines born.
- 1976 - Al Flosso passed away.
- 1980 - Harry Blackstone Jr. opened his illusion show on Broadway for a 118-performance run.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_14
- 1894 - Russell Walsh was born.
- 1898 - The gooseneck principle, which makes possible the apparent passing of a hoop around a floating person's body invented by Jasper Maskelyne, was first used this day in the Egyptian Hall.
- 1919 - The Pentacle Club was founded.
- 1947 - Los Magicos and Assembly No. 22 of the S.A.M. combined to present a lecture by Dai Vernon in the Aviation Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
- 1997 - Harry Blackstone Jr. passed away.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_15
- 1876 - Harry Kellar premiered in San Francisco the Vanishing Birdcage he bought from Buatier de Kolta.
- 1900 - Otto Maurer passes away.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_16
- 1888 - In the Los Angeles Times, Harry Kellar suggested several possible methods for Spiritualistic Fraud.
- 1958 - Richard Kaufman was born.
- 1908 - Harry Kellar bids farewell to the stage with Howard Thurston at his side.
- 2006 - George Sands passes away.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_17
- 1911 - Max Sterling's The Magical World ended.
- 1930 - Tony Corinda, author of Thirteen Steps To Mentalism, was born.
- 1936 - G. W. Hunter died.
- 1953 - Dolly, Robert Harbin's wife, had a terrible accident in the New Theatre of Northampton, England.
- 1957 - Ed Marlo dashed off a post-card reply to Herb Zarrow regarding the Zarrow Shuffle.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_18
- 1917 - John Nevil Maskelyne passes away.
- 1965 - Harry Lorayne appeared in the Mike Douglas Show.
- 1987 - Faucett Ross passes away.
- 1998 - The World Alliance of Magicians was founded.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_19
- 1906 - Lloyd W. Chambers was born.
- 1953 - J. W. Warrender, The Gay Deceiver, passes away.
- 1980 - Broadway show, Blackstone! The Magnificent Musical Magic Show opened. It ran at the Majestic Theatre (1655 seats) in New York City through August 17 with 104 performances, starring Harry Blackstone Jr..
- 1992 - David Copperfield was at Tucson, Arizona.
- 1995 - Max Maven begins its second season for HTV in England.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_20
- 1906 - Clement De Lion appeared at the Royal Palace in Madrid before the King Alfonso and the royal family.
- 1908 - James Stewart, not Stewart James, was born.
- 1918 - Felix Herrmann legally changed his name to Herrmann in Chicago.
- 1943 - Ralph W. Hull died.
- 1961 - Mac Ronay appeared at Ed Sullivan Show.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_21
- 1862 - Imro Fox was born Isidore Fuchs in Bromberg, Germany.
- 1941 - Gene Anderson was born.
- 1941 - Sir Felix Korim married Clara Decker.
- 1967 - Greg Frewin born.
- 1974 - Graham Adams died.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_22
- 1859 - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born.
- 1925 - Tony Andruzzi was born.
- 1966 - Stanley Collins passes away.
- 2002 - David Blaine's special "Vertico" aired on ABC. David stood on a circular platform only 22 inches in diameter, 109 feet from the ground in Manhattan’s Bryant Park, for two days and two nights, with no food, water, sleep, and nothing to sit or lean on.
- 2010 - Martin Gardner passes away.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_23
- 1848 - Félicien Trewey born.
- 1929 - Gene Finnell born.
- 1992 - Illusionist, close-up performer, and collector of antique magical apparatus, Will Ayling died.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_24
- 1955 - Richard Hatch born.
- 1974 - The last episode of the TV show "The Magician" starring Bill Bixby aired.
- 2007 - Bruce Cervon died.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_25
- 1731 - Isaac Fawkes died.
- 1909 - Charlie Miller, Charlie Miller, Charlie Miller was born in Indianapolis.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_26
- 1928 - Bart Whaley born.
- 1978 - Psychic Entertainers Association was formed.
- 2002 - Frances Ireland Marshall died.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_27
- 1905 - The first "Annual Dinner" Banquet of the S. A. M. was held at Hotel Vendome in New York.
- 1911 - Nearly a hundred members were enrolled at the inaugural meeting of the Magicians' Club.
- 1967 - Harry Marvello died.
- 1987 - Samuel Berland died.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_28
- 1910 - Trevor Hall was born.
- 1974 - Stephen Schwartz' musical "Magic Show" opens at Cort Theater New York City for 1859 performances
- 2012 - Tony Blanco died.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_29
- 1907 - Douglas Geoffrey, an associate of Hardeen was born.
- 1959 - Claudius Odin died.
- 1969 - Cliff Green died.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_30
- 1914 - Bruce Elliott was born.
- 1981 - Don Tanner died.
MagicPedia:Selected_anniversaries/May_31
- 1873 - Nate Leipzig was born.
- 1947 - The Chicago S.A.M. Convention ended at Morrison Hotel with a lecture by Dai Vernon and the attendance of M.D. Smith, the artist who illustrated Erdnase's book.