Robert-Houdin was the magician that Houdini named himself after, his story is hard to pin down, because even his own memoir is written to be entertaining, not accurate. Part one covers his early life, marriages, and beginnings in magic. 

Research:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin". Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Jun. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Eugene-Robert-Houdin
“How to Do the Classic Cups & Balls Trick.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVXNCMdKs-Y&t=124s
“ROBERT-HOUDIN TRIPLE MYSTERY CLOCK.” JACQUES NÈVE HORLOGER D'ART. https://www.horloger.net/purchase-sales/mystery-clocks/74-robert-houdin-triple-mystery-clock/
Robert-Houdin, Jean-Eugène. “Memoirs of Robert-Houdin : ambassador, author, and conjurer.” Geo. G. Evans. Philadelphia. 1859. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42916/42916-h/42916-h.htm
Evans, Henry Ridgely (2010) "Robert-Houdin. Conjuror, Author, and Ambassador.," The Open Court: Vol. 1903 : Iss. 12 , Article 3. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ocj/vol1903/iss12/3
“Houdin and the Arabs.” Scientific American, vol. 80, no. 13, 1899, pp. 202–202. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26121253
“Witchcraft as Stagecraft.” New York Times. 1999. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/millennium/m1/teller.html
Houdini, Harry. “The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin.” NEW YORK
THE PUBLISHERS PRINTING CO. 1908. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42723/42723-h/42723-h.htm
ONES, GRAHAM M. “Modern Magic and the War on Miracles in French Colonial Culture.” Comparative Studies in Society and History, vol. 52, no. 1, 2010, pp. 66–99. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40603072
Fechner, Christian. “The Magic of Robert-Houdin: An Artist's Life.” Editions N.C.F.

Robert-Houdin was the magician that Houdini named himself after, his story is hard to pin down, because even his own memoir is written to be entertaining, not accurate. Part one covers his early life, marriages, and beginnings in magic. 
Research:
<ul>
<li>Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin". Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Jun. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Eugene-Robert-Houdin</li>
<li>“How to Do the Classic Cups &amp; Balls Trick.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVXNCMdKs-Y&amp;t=124s</li>
<li>“ROBERT-HOUDIN TRIPLE MYSTERY CLOCK.” JACQUES NÈVE HORLOGER D'ART. https://www.horloger.net/purchase-sales/mystery-clocks/74-robert-houdin-triple-mystery-clock/</li>
<li>Robert-Houdin, Jean-Eugène. “Memoirs of Robert-Houdin : ambassador, author, and conjurer.” Geo. G. Evans. Philadelphia. 1859. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42916/42916-h/42916-h.htm</li>
<li>Evans, Henry Ridgely (2010) "Robert-Houdin. Conjuror, Author, and Ambassador.," The Open Court: Vol. 1903 : Iss. 12 , Article 3. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ocj/vol1903/iss12/3</li>
<li>“Houdin and the Arabs.” Scientific American, vol. 80, no. 13, 1899, pp. 202–202. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26121253</li>
<li>“Witchcraft as Stagecraft.” New York Times. 1999. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/millennium/m1/teller.html</li>
<li>Houdini, Harry. “The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin.” NEW YORK THE PUBLISHERS PRINTING CO. 1908. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42723/42723-h/42723-h.htm</li>
<li>ONES, GRAHAM M. “Modern Magic and the War on Miracles in French Colonial Culture.” Comparative Studies in Society and History, vol. 52, no. 1, 2010, pp. 66–99. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40603072</li>
<li>Fechner, Christian. “The Magic of Robert-Houdin: An Artist's Life.” Editions N.C.F.</li>
</ul>

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Robert-Houdin was the magician that Houdini named himself after, his story is hard to pin down, because even his own memoir is written to be entertaining, not accurate. Part one covers his early life, marriages, and beginnings in magic.

Robert-Houdin, The Father of Modern Magic, Part 1

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c7980438-18d8-42a4-a2ed-af5400564068/transcript

This 2018 episode covers Libertalia, which, in truth, may be completely fictional. It's called a pirate settlement, though the man who spearheaded it claimed he wasn't actually a pirate.

This 2018 episode covers Libertalia, which, in truth, may be completely fictional. It's called a pirate settlement, though the man who spearheaded it claimed he wasn't actually a pirate.

SYMHC Classics: Libertalia

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b92bbcbf-baf6-4279-95cd-b498004e3f55/transcript

Tracy shares the topics she considered for the recording in the Bahamas but decided against. Holly talks about her admiration for Thomas Huxley.

Tracy shares the topics she considered for the recording in the Bahamas but decided against. Holly talks about her admiration for Thomas Huxley.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Pirate Evolution

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/754e85b9-5eee-4456-bdd4-b498004e38e5/transcript

Huxley is an example of having a good attitude about publicly acknowledging errors and learning from them. He earned the nickname “Darwin’s bulldog” for his very vocal support of Darwin’s work, and he wanted to promote science and education, particularly to people that didn’t normally have access to those things. 

Research:
Bernoulli, D., Jenkyns, H.C. “Thomas Henry Huxley, a stone tablet, coccoliths, and deep-sea sediments in the high Alps.” Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 112, 1661–1669 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-023-02330-5
Bowen, Keith. “Thomas Henry Huxley.” Ebsco. 2024. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/thomas-henry-huxley
Burkhardt, Richard W.. "Jean-Baptiste Lamarck". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Dec. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Baptiste-Lamarck
Darwin, Charles. “On the Origin of Species.” JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. London. 1859. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1228/1228-h/1228-h.htm
Desmond, Adrian J. "Thomas Henry Huxley". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Jun. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Henry-Huxley
Dolan, John R. “The famous and lesser-known illustrations of Thomas Huxley’s Bathybius.” History of Oceanography.  International Commission of the History of Oceanography. https://oceansciencehistory.com/2020/07/13/the-famous-and-lesser-known-illustrations-of-thomas-huxleys-bathybius/
“Freshwater Bathybius.” Nature 4, 49–50 (1871). https://doi.org/10.1038/004049b0
“The Great Debate.” University of Oxford Museum of Natural History. https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/great-debate
“The History of Evolutionary Thought.” Understanding Evolution. Berkeley University. https://evolution.berkeley.edu/the-history-of-evolutionary-thought/1800s/early-concepts-of-evolution-jean-baptiste-lamarck/
Huxley, T.H. “Agnosticism.” K. Paul, Trench. London. 1889. https://archive.org/details/a622650700huxluoft/page/169/mode/1up
Huxley, T.H. “Aphorisms and Reflections. From the Works of T. H. HUXLEY, Selected by
Henrietta A. Huxley. Macmillan and Co. London. 1907. Accessed online: http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/Book/Aphor.html
Huxley, T.H. “Autobiography and Selected Essays.” Riverside College Classics. 1909. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1315/1315-h/1315-h.htm#link2H_4_0007
Huxley, T.H. “Collected Essays, Volume V: Science and Christian Tradition.” https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15905/15905-h/15905-h.htm
Huxley, T.H. “Evidence as to man's place in nature.” D. Appelton and Co. New York. 1863. https://archive.org/details/evidenceastomans00huxl/page/n1/mode/2up
Huxley, T.H. “On Some Organisms Living at Great Depths in the North Atlantic Ocean.” Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science.  viii., new Series, 1868, pp. 203-212. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/SM3/bathy.html
Huxley, T.H. “On the Relations of Man to the Lower Animals.” Project Gutenberg eBook. 2001. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2932/pg2932-images.html
Joshi RS. “The Inner Root Sheath and the Men Associated with it Eponymically.” Int J Trichology. 2011 Jan;3(1):57-62. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3129131/
Lamarck, Jean-Baptiste. “Zoological Philosophy.” Macmillan. London. 1914. https://archive.org/details/ZoologicalPhilosophy
Lyons, Sherrie L. “Thomas Henry Huxley : the evolution of a scientist.” Prometheus Books. New York. 1999.
McGraw, Donald J. “Bye-Bye Bathybius: The Rise and Fall of a Marine Myth.” Bios, vol. 45, no. 4, 1974, pp. 164–71. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4607257
“Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1963.” The Nobel Prize. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1963/summary/
Pearce, JMS. “Thomas Henry Huxley.” Hektoen International. Sept. 18, 2020. https://hekint.org/2020/09/18/thomas-henry-huxley/
Schwartz, Joel S. “Darwin, Wallace, and Huxley, and ‘Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation.’” Journal of the History of Biology, vol. 23, no. 1, 1990, pp. 127–53. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4331120
“Thomas Henry Huxley.” Darwin Correspondence Project. University of Cambridge. https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/thomas-henry-huxley
“Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895).” Humanist Heritage. https://heritage.humanists.uk/thomas-henry-huxley/
Tunstad, Erik. “Darwin's Bulldog: Thomas Huxley 200 Years.” Prosa. July 10, 2025. https://prosa.no/artikler/aktuelt/darwins-bulldog-thomas-huxley-200-ar
Wyhe, John van. “It ain't necessarily so ...” The Guardian. Feb 9, 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/feb/09/darwin.myths

 

Huxley is an example of having a good attitude about publicly acknowledging errors and learning from them. He earned the nickname &ldquo;Darwin&rsquo;s bulldog&rdquo; for his very vocal support of Darwin&rsquo;s work, and he wanted to promote science and education, particularly to people that didn&rsquo;t normally have access to those things.&nbsp;
Research:
<ul>
<li>Bernoulli, D., Jenkyns, H.C. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley, a stone tablet, coccoliths, and deep-sea sediments in the high Alps.&rdquo;&nbsp;Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch)&nbsp;112, 1661&ndash;1669 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-023-02330-5</li>
<li>Bowen, Keith. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley.&rdquo; Ebsco. 2024. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/thomas-henry-huxley</li>
<li>Burkhardt, Richard W.. "Jean-Baptiste Lamarck".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Dec. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Baptiste-Lamarck</li>
<li>Darwin, Charles. &ldquo;On the Origin of Species.&rdquo; JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. London. 1859. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1228/1228-h/1228-h.htm</li>
<li>Desmond, Adrian J. "Thomas Henry Huxley".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Jun. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Henry-Huxley</li>
<li>Dolan, John R. &ldquo;The famous and lesser-known illustrations of Thomas Huxley&rsquo;s&nbsp;Bathybius.&rdquo; History of Oceanography. &nbsp;International Commission of the History of Oceanography. https://oceansciencehistory.com/2020/07/13/the-famous-and-lesser-known-illustrations-of-thomas-huxleys-bathybius/</li>
<li>&ldquo;Freshwater Bathybius.&rdquo;&nbsp;Nature&nbsp;4, 49&ndash;50 (1871). https://doi.org/10.1038/004049b0</li>
<li>&ldquo;The Great Debate.&rdquo; University of Oxford Museum of Natural History. https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/great-debate</li>
<li>&ldquo;The History of Evolutionary Thought.&rdquo; Understanding Evolution. Berkeley University. https://evolution.berkeley.edu/the-history-of-evolutionary-thought/1800s/early-concepts-of-evolution-jean-baptiste-lamarck/</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Agnosticism.&rdquo; K. Paul, Trench. London. 1889. https://archive.org/details/a622650700huxluoft/page/169/mode/1up</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Aphorisms and Reflections. From the Works of T. H. HUXLEY, Selected by Henrietta A. Huxley. Macmillan and Co. London. 1907. Accessed online: http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/Book/Aphor.html</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Autobiography and Selected Essays.&rdquo; Riverside College Classics. 1909. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1315/1315-h/1315-h.htm#link2H_4_0007</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Collected Essays, Volume V: Science and Christian Tradition.&rdquo; https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15905/15905-h/15905-h.htm</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;Evidence as to man's place in nature.&rdquo; D. Appelton and Co. New York. 1863. https://archive.org/details/evidenceastomans00huxl/page/n1/mode/2up</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;On Some Organisms Living at Great Depths in the North Atlantic Ocean.&rdquo; Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science. viii., new Series, 1868, pp. 203-212. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/SM3/bathy.html</li>
<li>Huxley, T.H. &ldquo;On the Relations of Man to the Lower Animals.&rdquo; Project Gutenberg eBook. 2001. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2932/pg2932-images.html</li>
<li>Joshi RS. &ldquo;The Inner Root Sheath and the Men Associated with it Eponymically.&rdquo; Int J Trichology. 2011 Jan;3(1):57-62. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3129131/</li>
<li>Lamarck, Jean-Baptiste. &ldquo;Zoological Philosophy.&rdquo; Macmillan. London. 1914. https://archive.org/details/ZoologicalPhilosophy</li>
<li>Lyons, Sherrie L. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley : the evolution of a scientist.&rdquo; Prometheus Books. New York. 1999.</li>
<li>McGraw, Donald J. &ldquo;Bye-Bye Bathybius: The Rise and Fall of a Marine Myth.&rdquo;&nbsp;Bios, vol. 45, no. 4, 1974, pp. 164&ndash;71.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4607257</li>
<li>&ldquo;Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1963.&rdquo; The Nobel Prize. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1963/summary/</li>
<li>Pearce, JMS. &ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley.&rdquo; Hektoen International. Sept. 18, 2020. https://hekint.org/2020/09/18/thomas-henry-huxley/</li>
<li>Schwartz, Joel S. &ldquo;Darwin, Wallace, and Huxley, and &lsquo;Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation.&rsquo;&rdquo;&nbsp;Journal of the History of Biology, vol. 23, no. 1, 1990, pp. 127&ndash;53.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4331120</li>
<li>&ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley.&rdquo; Darwin Correspondence Project. University of Cambridge. https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/thomas-henry-huxley</li>
<li>&ldquo;Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895).&rdquo; Humanist Heritage. https://heritage.humanists.uk/thomas-henry-huxley/</li>
<li>Tunstad, Erik. &ldquo;Darwin's Bulldog: Thomas Huxley 200 Years.&rdquo; Prosa. July 10, 2025. https://prosa.no/artikler/aktuelt/darwins-bulldog-thomas-huxley-200-ar</li>
<li>Wyhe, John van. &ldquo;It ain't necessarily so ...&rdquo; The Guardian. Feb 9, 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/feb/09/darwin.myths</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

Huxley is an example of having a good attitude about publicly acknowledging errors and learning from them. He earned the nickname “Darwin’s bulldog” for his very vocal support of Darwin’s work, and he wanted to promote science and education, particularly to people that didn’t normally have access to those things. 

Thomas Henry Huxley

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/260a3473-d806-4229-901f-b495016b50f8/transcript

Robert-Houdin, The Father of Modern Magic, Part 1

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