One Man's Magic Is Another Man's Engineering: Magic Secrets Revealed!

When it comes to magic, there are three types of people. This article is not for all of them.

The first type is the kind of person that magic is really being preformed for. This type just enjoys that feeling of wonder magic can create and loves to be fooled and entertained by it. Revealing the tricks to this sort of person would probably mean ruining all the magic for him or her. That is not the goal. If you think that knowing the secrets behind the tricks will make magic less interesting for you, please don't read any further.

The second type of person is someone who just has to know how it was done. If you can't sleep well for a week after seeing a magic show and you know you just won't be satisfied until you figure it out, this is the type of article you're looking for. You will get explanations of some of the greatest tricks preformed by the biggest magicians of our time.

The third type is a magician. If you are one, this article is for you too. You may already know some of the tricks and methods explained here, but you should still find something interesting for yourself. It will explain to you how the giants of our art perform their most amazing illusions. We also recommend you some great books on various topics concerning magic.

Keep in mind that we can never be 100% sure about how a particular trick was pulled off. The best we can do is give you the most rational explanation and let you decide for yourself. We don't claim we know exactly how it was done, but we can tell you how it could be done and how it was most likely done. We hope your curiosity will be satisfied and your questions answered. Meanwhile, enjoy the magic.

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When you're a child, every magic trick seems real. You sit in amazement as your grandpa steals your nose or someone pulls a rabbit out of a hat. As children, we didn't even question how these tricks are done, we just believed them. When you grow up, the magic tricks get even more elaborate to satisfy our slightly more skeptical brains. Magicians like David Copperfield and David Blaine mystify us with elaborate Las Vegas stage shows and tricks that involve levitating people or making the Statue of Liberty disappear. 

I'm not sorry to say that magicians are masters of illusion. They are experts at tricking the human psyche into believing completely preposterous violations of basic physics. In the past five years, magic—normally deemed fit only for children and tourists in Las Vegas—has become shockingly respectable in the scientific world.

But magic’s not easy to pick apart with machines, because it’s not really about the mechanics of your senses. Magic is about understanding—and then manipulating—how viewers digest sensory information. At some point, magicians started exposing their secrets because most of these famous tricks have a perfectly reasonable explanation. I think you’ll see what I mean if I teach you a few principles that magicians employ when they want to alter your perceptions.

1. Exploit pattern recognition. 

I magically produce four silver dollars, one at a time, with the back of my hand toward you. Then I allow you to see that the palm of my hand is empty before a fifth coin appears. As Homo sapiens, you grasp the pattern and take away the impression that I produced all five coins from a hand whose palm was empty.

2. Make the secret a lot more trouble than the trick seems worth. 

You will be fooled by a trick if it involves more time, money, and practice than you (or any other sane onlooker) would be willing to invest. My partner, Penn, and I once produced 500 live cockroaches from a top hat on the desk of talk show host David Letterman. To prepare this took weeks. We hired an entomologist who provided slow-moving, camera-friendly cockroaches (the kind from under your stove don’t hang around for close-ups) and taught us to pick the bugs up without screaming like preadolescent girls. Then we built a secret compartment and worked out a devious routine for sneaking the compartment into the hat. More trouble than the trick was worth? To you, probably. But not to magicians.

3. It’s hard to think critically if you’re laughing. 

We often follow a secret move immediately with a joke. A viewer has only so much attention to give, and if he’s laughing, his mind is too busy with the joke to backtrack rationally.

4. Keep the trickery outside the frame. 

I take off my jacket and toss it aside. Then I reach into your pocket and pull out a tarantula. Getting rid of the jacket was just for my comfort, right? Not exactly. As I doffed the jacket, I copped the spider.

5. To fool the mind, combine at least two tricks. 

Every night in Las Vegas, I make a ball come to life like a trained dog. My method—the thing that fools your eye—is to puppeteer the ball with a thread too fine to be seen from the audience. But during the routine, the ball jumps through a wooden hoop several times, and that seems to rule out the possibility of a thread. The hoop is what magicians call misdirection, a second trick that “proves” the first. The hoop is genuine, but the deceptive choreography I use took 18 months to develop.

6. Nothing fools you better than the lie you tell yourself. 

David P. Abbott was an Omaha magician who invented the basis of my ball trick back in 1907. He used to make a golden ball float around his parlor. After the show, Abbott would absentmindedly leave the ball on a bookshelf. Guests would sneak over, heft the ball, and find it was much heavier than a thread could support. So they were mystified. But the ball the audience had seen floating weighed only five ounces. The one on the bookshelf was a heavy duplicate, left out to entice the curious. When a magician lets you notice something on your own, his lie becomes impenetrable.

7. If you are given a choice, you believe you have acted freely. 

This is one of the darkest of all psychological secrets. I’ll explain this principle by incorporating it (and the other six secrets you’ve just learned) into a card trick worthy of the most annoying uncle.

The Effect: I cut a deck of cards a couple of times, and you glimpse flashes of several different cards. I turn the cards facedown and invite you to choose one, memorize it, and return it. Now I ask you to name your card. You say (for example), “The queen of hearts.” I take the deck in my mouth, bite down, and groan and wiggle to suggest that your card is going down my throat, through my intestines, into my bloodstream, and finally into my right foot. I lift that foot and invite you to pull off my shoe and look inside. You find the queen of hearts. You’re amazed. If you happen to pick up the deck later, you’ll find it’s missing the queen of hearts.

The Secret(s): First, the preparation: I slip a queen of hearts into my right shoe, an ace of spades into my left, and a three of clubs into my wallet. Then I manufacture an entire deck out of duplicates of those three cards. That takes 18 decks, which is costly and tedious (No. 2: More trouble than it’s worth).

When I cut the cards, I let you glimpse a few different faces. You conclude the deck contains 52 different cards (No. 1: Pattern recognition). You draw and think you’ve made a choice (No. 7: Choice is not freedom).

Now I wiggle the card to my shoe (No. 3: If you’re laughing …). When I lift whichever foot has your card, or invite you to take my wallet from my back pocket, I turn away (No. 4: Outside the frame) and swap the deck for a normal one from which I’ve removed all three possible selections (No. 5: Combine two tricks). Then I set the deck down to tempt you to examine it later and notice your card is missing (No. 6: The lie you tell yourself).

Magic is an art, as capable of beauty as music, painting, or poetry. But the core of every trick is a cold, cognitive experiment in perception: Does the trick fool the audience? A magician’s data sample spans centuries, and his experiments have been replicated often enough to constitute near-certainty.

Some of the most well known tricks revealed!

Michael Jackson’s ’anti-gravity lean’

Remember that ’gravity-defying’ lean which Michael Jackson and his dancers performed in the video for the song ’Smooth Criminal’? It looks incredible, as Michael keeps his entire body straight whilst bending his ankles at an acute 45-degree angle. The secret here is in the specially-designed shoes he used, which had a heel that locked into pegs on the floor. With his feet effectively hooked to the ground, Michael was able to perform a seemingly impossible physical manoeuvre.

Driving a Truck over the Magician

When Penn ran over Teller with a truck, it made Objective Productions’ list of the Fifty Greatest Magic Tricks despite the fact that the pair themselves revealed how the trick worked. It was a real truck, and Teller lay unprotected on the ground as the truck’s tires rolled over him…and then, of course, popped up unharmed. 

The key, it turned out, was a set of counterweights on the far side of the truck, not visible to an audience or camera focused on the action. The weights shifted the balance of the truck, forcing the weight of the vehicle onto the far-side tires and allowing those on the lighter side to roll over the top of the magician.

Disappearing Statue of Liberty

In one incredible trick, David Copperfield convinced an entire crowd that he made the Statue of Liberty disappear. What, really? On live television in 1983, the magician had a large audience sit facing the monument. The audience could initially see the statue through two giant pillars, but Copperfield hid it behind a curtain soon afterward. After a small period of time, Copperfield dropped the curtain showing that his magic had actually made the Statue of Liberty disappear.

Yes, even this insane trick is explainable. After the stage finished rotating, Copperfield dropped the curtain and the crowd gasped in amazement that he made the Statue of Liberty disappear. Wow, that is some major commitment, David. 

Little did the audience know, but they were actually positioned on a giant lazy susan! After the audience looked at the statue, they slowly rotated around to a point where it was no longer visible. Wouldn't they notice that they were being rotated? It actually occurred in a location at night with relatively few noticeable landmarks.

Criss Angel Walks on Water

If a man can levitate, it only stands to reason that he could walk on water, right? Criss Angel demonstrated in a Las Vegas pool, even “dropping” a shoe to the bottom of the pool to make it clear that there was nothing but water below him. But according to sources, the explanation was simple: he was walking atop plexiglass pillars. Plexiglass has a refraction index very similar to that of water, and is so nearly invisible in water that it’s used to reinforce shark cages without interfering with the “up close and personal” experience. 

Angel’s careful steps in this walking on water video lend credibility to the explanation.

Bullet Catch

Once upon a time, magicians used low-charge shells and wax-cast bullets in performing the bullet catch illusion. The sheet of glass in through which the “bullet” was apparently fired served the dual purpose of creating the impression of a real bullet being fired and stopping that “bullet” from reaching its target. Technology has made the trick safer today, in that specially crafted weapons that do not actually fire the slugs are generally used. In that case, the act of “firing” the gun triggers both the sound of gunfire and the shattering of the plate of glass. But what of the initialed slug and shell casing?

The shell casing is legitimate in both cases; either the casing has discharged its wax-cast slug or has dropped its slug when the specially-constructed gun is fired. The slug that winds up in the mouth of the target is, of course, fake. The method for marking the slug varies depending on the set-up. In some manner, a stage-hand duplicates the markings. This is accomplished most effectively when the event is televised, since zooming in on a backstage monitor will allow the stagehand to closely replicate the actual markings on the bullet. In a pinch, though, the magician simply reads the initials out loud, perhaps describing distinctive markings or script, and a stagehand duplicates as closely as possible. The duplicate slug is slipped into the target’s mouth as he dons his protective gear.

These cheats may make the bullet catch a bit less challenging and exciting, but they’ve also cut down dramatically on the number of magicians killed in attempting this trick.

Houdini’s Vanishing Elephant

Although one of the most famous magicians of all time, it was Harry Houdini’s great escapes that  truly made his name. Nonetheless, his vanishing elephant attracted tremendous attention, not only because of the size of the beast and the unlikelihood of being able to conceal it, but because Houdini’s secret was long considered lost. While today’s technology provides a number of possible approaches to vanishing something as large as an elephant (and, in fact, much larger), the options in 1918 were far more limited. 

During Houdini’s show, the elephant entered a large box on stage and the doors were closed. The box was raised on wheels, so it was clear that a trap door could not have been used. When the doors were flung open again, the box appeared to be empty. After decades during which the secret was believed to have been lost forever, magician-author Jim Steinmeyer believes that he’s tracked down the answer. The illusion, actually developed by Charles Morritt, involved concealing the animal behind a diagonally-placed mirror in the box. When the box was opened, the audience “saw” the entire empty box but it was really a half-empty box reflected to appear whole.

All in all, the magic has gone out of magic. The ability to record, zoom in, play back in slow motion and repeatedly review tricks that came with televised magic was the beginning of the end. Then, the small flurry of magicians “breaking the code” and the increasing accessibility of information and ability to share theories and discoveries on the Internet finished the job. Few acts of magic, large or small, remain unexplained—and those few that do don’t really have us fooled. Even the magicians themselves have largely conceded the point; while David Blaine stands by the vague and pseudo-mysterious “you decide”, others are more direct. Franz Harary — who not only vanished the space shuttle in 1994 but is responsible for the “magic” incorporated into the stage performances of some of the most popular musicians of the past two decades—stated bluntly that “We have the technology to realize anything you can think up.” 

Technology lacks the intrigue of mystical powers, to be sure, but it has one significant advantage over magic: it’s real.

Top 10 Magicians Of ALL TIME

#10. Soul Mystique 

They may be the least known act on this list, but quick-change act Soul Mystique have revived much recognition. They were named one of the top 10 magicians in the world by Fox Bio Channel in 2008, and were invited to perform as the closing act to the event, “A Tribute to Siegfried and Roy at the London Palladium.” The duo found fame on the show Australia’s Got Talent, where they finished as Grand Finalists in 2007, and 2nd Runners-Up in 2012.

#9. Dante

Harry August Jansen, better known as Dante the Magician, was so influential that his death in 1955 has come to end what historians call the “Golden Age of Magic.” Dante toured the world performing his magic with a troupe of between 25 and 40 performers, becoming famous uttering the Danish nonsense words “Sim Sala Bim”, taken from a children’s song. He was well-known to be the greatest magician in the world at his time.

#8. Harry Blackstone Sr. 

Harry Blackstone Sr. became famous for performing to the USO (United States Organizations Inc.) during World War II. Many of the tricks that are famous today were made popular through Blackstone Sr. “Sawing Woman in Half” was arguably his most famous trick. He would use a saw to cut through a piece of lumber, and then seem to cut through a woman, who would rise up unharmed afterwards. His son, Harry Blackstone Jr., also became a renowned magician, as he started from an infant in his father’s shows.

#7. Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin

19th century French magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin is known as the father of the modern style of magic. Harry Houdini idolized the magician, and chose his stage name in honor of his inspiration. Robert-Houdin’s most famous trick was called “Second Sight.” He would walk through the audience, touching random items. A blindfolded assistant would then describe each item in detail. Another variation of the trick had his Emile, sip on a glass of water, while an audience member thought of a liquid. Robert-Houdin would “read” the audience member’s mind, through his son, and reveal the liquid

#6. David Blaine 

David Blaine became famous in the late 90’s through his show, “Street Magic.” His show was unique for showing street magic up-close, as well as Blaine’s ultra-cool style throughout his tricks. He then made a name for himself as an endurance artist. Blaine has been buried alive (a stunt his idol Houdini planned on performing before his death in 1926) for a week, frozen in an ice block for 63 hours (a world record at the time), stood on a 100-foot high pillar without any harnesses for 35 hours, gone 44 days in a glass box without any food or nutrients, spun in a gyroscope for 16 hours, hung upside down for 60 hours, and most recently, spent 72 hours with one million volts of electrical discharge aimed at his body.

#5. Siegfried and Roy

German magician Siegfried Fishbacher and exotic animal trainer Roy Horn immigrated to the United States and combined their talents to form a unique magic act featuring white tigers and lions. From 1990 to 2003, they had a show at The Mirage in Las Vegas, which was regarded as the most visited Vegas show. In 2003, Horn was bitten by one of his tigers on the neck while performing. He suffered large blood loss and a quarter of his skull was removed as doctors tried to save his life. He eventually was able to talk and walk again in 2006. However, The Mirage canceled the show in the meantime, and the duo officially announced their retirement in 2010.

#4. Criss Angel 

Cristopher Nicholas Sarantakos (no wonder he choose a stage name) is relatively knew to the magic scene. His show, Criss Angel: Mindfreak premiered on the A&E Network in 2005. It ran until 2010, with six seasons, and earned the magician worldwide fame. Some of his most famous stunts were walking between two buildings before a crowd in Las Vegas, cutting himself in half, and walking on water. Angel was able to gain fame through his edgy personality and numerous levitation tricks. He also performed in a illusion show in 2008 called Criss Angel: Believe, which was in partnership with Cirque Soleil.

#3. Penn and Teller

Penn Jillete and Raymond Teller became famous as the duo “Penn and Teller” in the late 80’s. Their humorous magic fascinated audiences for decades. More recently, the two have moved to a television show where they debunk pseudoscience. One of the more unique aspects of their shows is when they show a popular trick, like “Cups and Balls” and show the audience how the trick is done. They then perform a more complex form of the trick, like using transparent cups, to show how the trick is “really done.” Teller almost never speaks during their tricks, and is usually subjected to violence, like being dropped on spikes, run over by an 18-wheeler, or submerged in a tank of water.

#2. Harry Houdini  

Harry Houdini, who was active in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, is most famous for being an escape artist. He gained fame by touring Europe, asking different police forces to lock him up at every stop. He would go on to escape a straitjacket while hanging off a skyscraper, a straitjacket from underwater, and being buried alive, which he reportedly barely survived. There were charges that Houdini’s escapes were faked, but Houdini attacked fake magicians throughout his career. The circumstances of his death in 1926 are fittingly dramatic, as a popular story says a college student asked Houdini if his stomach could withstand any punch. Houdini died a few days later from peritonitis, from a ruptured appendix

#1. David Copperfield

David Copperfield’s long, illustrious career has allowed him to become the most successful solo entertainer in history. At 19, he was headlining a show in a large hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was approached by ABC in 1977 to produce a magic special. In his specials, Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear, floated over the Grand Canyon, and walked through the Great Wall of China. Even at 56, Copperfield still performs many shows a week. He was one of the first magicians to successfully combine amazing magic tricks with great storytelling.

Conclusion on Illusion

Many of the principles of stage magic are old. There is an expression, "it's all done with smoke and mirrors", used to explain something baffling, but effects seldom use mirrors today, due to the amount of installation work and transport difficulties.

Opinions vary among magicians as to how to categorize a given effect, and disagreement as to what categories actually exist. For instance, some magicians consider "penetrations" a separate category, while others consider penetrations a form of restoration or teleportation. Among magicians who believe in a limited number of categories, there has been disagreement as to how many different types of effects there are.

• Production: The magician produces something from nothing—a rabbit from an empty hat, a fan of cards from thin air, a shower of coins from an empty bucket, a dove from a pan, or the magician himself or herself, appearing in a puff of smoke on an empty stage—all of these effects are productions.
• Vanish: The magician makes something disappear—a coin, a cage of doves, milk from a newspaper, an assistant from a cabinet, or even the Statue of Liberty. A vanish, being the reverse of a production, may use a similar technique in reverse.
• Transformation: The magician transforms something from one state into another—a silk handkerchief changes color, a lady turns into a tiger, an indifferent card changes to the spectator's chosen card.
• Restoration: The magician destroys an object—a rope is cut, a newspaper is torn, a woman is cut in half, a borrowed watch is smashed to pieces—then restores it to its original state.
• Transposition: This is whereby two or more objects are used in play. The magician will cause these objects to change places, as many times as he pleases, and in some cases, ends with a kicker by transforming the objects into something else.
• Transportation: The magician causes something to move from one place to another—a borrowed ring is found inside a ball of wool, a canary inside a light bulb, an assistant from a cabinet to the back of the theater, or a coin from one hand to the other. When two objects exchange places, it is called a transposition: a simultaneous, double transportation. A transportation can be seen as a combination of a vanish and a production. When performed by a mentalist it might be called teleportation.
• Escape: The magician (or less often, an assistant) is placed in a restraining device (i.e., handcuffs or a straitjacket) or a death trap, and escapes to safety. Examples include being put in a straitjacket and into an overflowing tank of water, and being tied up and placed in a car being sent through a car crusher.
• Levitation: The magician defies gravity, either by making something float in the air, or with the aid of another object (suspension)—a silver ball floats around a cloth, an assistant floats in mid-air, another is suspended from a broom, a scarf dances in a sealed bottle, the magician hovers a few inches off the floor. 
• Penetration: The magician makes a solid object pass through another—a set of steel rings link and unlink, a candle penetrates an arm, swords pass through an assistant in a basket, a salt shaker penetrates a tabletop, or a man walks through a mirror. Sometimes referred to as "solid-through-solid".
• Prediction: The magician accurately predicts the choice of a spectator or the outcome of an event—a newspaper headline, the total amount of loose change in the spectator's pocket, a picture drawn on a slate—under seemingly impossible circumstances.

For some people, magic means spells and potions and wands. For those wizards, witches and warlocks, I inquire you to go out to Barnes & Noble and pick up a copy of the Harry Potter series to quench your thirst. In the meantime, the rest of us will sit in awe watching the masters of the sleight of hand.