Arrival in Appleton when Harry Houdini made his name at the beginning of the 20th century, there was of course, no Internet. Television was still many years away, and even the radio was not yet sending music or voices over the air. All entertainment was alive. Real people performed singing, dancing, acting, doing tricks-in real time in front of an audience. Houdini dreamed of when he was a boy named Ehrich Weiss. He wanted to see his name in big letters outside a theater, his picture beside big headlines in the newspa easily. He went through many years of hard times, but he was good at what he did, and he knew it. He did not give up. In the end, he became richer and more famous than he could ever have imagined. According to his official life sto ewish religious leader) and a well-educated man, with several university degrees. In Budapest, however, he was not able to make a good living. The family was poor, so two years after Ehrich was born, his ther decided to go to Americ ews in Hungary and other eastern European countries were often treated badly. Many at time, thought there might be more opportunities in America had moved there and were looking for a rabbi. Two years later, his wife, Cecelia, and their five sons joined him in Appleton The family remained th for four years. Houdini remembered that time as the happiest years of his small market town surrounded by farms. The family lived apartme small, so most of their free tim first parade through the streets. Then they would set up a big tent and perform for a day or two-with wild animals, clowns, acrobats, magicians, and more Like many other children, Ehrich loved going to the circus. He also loved pretending he was a circus performer. He liked doing acrobatic tricks on the trapeze (a bar hung by ropes from a high place). Unlike other children, however, he never got tired of these games. He practiced and practiced until he got very good this happy life did not last. Ehrichs mother was a good h ousewife, but she could enough.