A story on the BBC this morning reminded me that this is the 90th anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini. Pop culture fame is fleeting. Young people do not know the stars of my youth (who could blame them), and, of course, the names of the great stars of the vaudeville stage have long passed from popular memory.
Yet, we all know the name of Houdini. The man who did not believe in spirits has obtained a kind of immortality.
There are a number of good biographies of Houdini. I recommend Houdini!!!: The Career of Ehrich Weiss by Kenneth Silverman and Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls by William Lindsay Gresham.
peakmemory 
What if The Great Houdini had had an Instagram account?