A photograph shows Ehrich Weiss at the age of 13 when he was a messenger boy for a department store in New York. He is a good-looking boy with a ready smile. At this age, he already seems to know how to get people’s attention. Eheich was living with his family on East 69th Street. When he was 16, his father became ill and unable to work. Ehrich and brothers moved to a necktie factory. At the factory, Ehrich worked nine or ten hours a day. That did not leave him much competed but made good use of He ioined Athletic Club and athletic in swimming and running. Another photograph period medals pinned to his from this man who would running shirt. He is clearly very proud young not accept anything but first place. Most, of free time, was spent practicing magic tricks. One of his brothers, Theo, had learned how do a few magic tricks and taugugt them to Ehrich. Jacob H and practiced also interested in magic. They learned more books. He together whenever they could. Ehrich also found out about magic tricks through often stopped through the used books that were sold on the streets in those days. In fact, throughout his life, he loved books and reading. At the time of his death, he had an enormous collection of books on magic. One day he found a book that changed his life Memoirs of Robert-Houdin. Until now, Ehrich had never thought of magic as a possible profession. In this book, Robert Houdin, a French magician, told the story of how he had started out poor and gained wealth and Jacob a magician. Soon after reading this book, Ehrich the necktie factory and to leave too. They, would become famous magicians. But first they needed a good stage name. In memory of the Frenchman, decided to call himself Houdini. The extra letter at the end made it sound better in English. For a first name, he took the nickname his friends used for him-Ehrie-and changed it to Harry From then on, he was Harry Houdini. He and Jacob Hyman became the Brothers Houdini. He also copied Robert-Houdin's costume a formal jacket and white shirt-not the long ma robe that been popular before. Why did he give up his job and risk everything to become a magician? As an intelligent and ambitious young man, Ehrich wanted to make something of his life. A career stage one way he could escape from As Jew time, many professions were to him. A career in business m have been possible, or even in medicine it would not have been easy He had had to leave school carly, and his family was unable to help him Ehrich Harry was not interested in those careers. He was aborn showman In any case, who loved an audience. on stage as a magician, he became more He the one in who could On stage he also stood above the audience This was important to him since he was quite short -only 5' 4" (162 cm). All his life, he stood very straight and tried to make himself seem taller.