Ehrich, the Prince of the Air
Harry Houdini was born in Budapest, Hungary, on March 24, 1874 as Erik Weisz, one of seven children. He and his family immigrated to the United States in 1878, on the S.S. Fresia. Once in the country, the Jewish family changed their name to the German spelling Weiss, and Erik then became Ehrich.
Ehrich Weiss (later Houdini) circa 1890 wearing medals from his performance with the track team. Photo by Everett Collection / Shutterstock
They lived in Appleton, Wisconsin, on Appleton Street – an area now known as Houdini Square. By 1882, the family moved to Milwaukee and fell into grim poverty. In 1887, Ehrich and his father, a rabbi, moved to New York City to live in a boarding house on East 79th Street. Once they found permanent housing, the rest of the family joined. As a child, Ehrich was forced to take several jobs. He made his public debut as a 9-year-old trapeze artist. He called himself “Ehrich, the Prince of the Air.”