Harry Houdini's Appleton Roots

Harry Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Budapest, Hungary in 1874 but spent his formative years in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his father served as a rabbi, and considered the city his hometown. He took his stage name from French magician Robert-Houdin, adding an i to the end because he had read that in French it meant like. Houdini developed his escape artistry largely through self-teaching and physical conditioning, becoming one of the most famous performers in the world by the early 20th century. He died in Detroit on Halloween, 1926, of peritonitis following a punch to the abdomen.

Source: Wikipedia