Point of Inquiry

The CFI 10th Annual Houdini Seance - Halloween 2006


Listen Later

Harry Houdini, the world-famous magician and escape artist, earnestly explored the religion of spiritualism and communication with the dead after his beloved mother's death in 1913. He eventually crusaded vigorously against those whom he believed were fraudulent mediums, debunking and exposing those whom he argued preyed on the mourning of the grieving. He was renowned for his ability to seem to escape from almost any bonds. As such, he made a pact with his wife Bess, that if anyone could escape the bonds of death, he would. In this bonus episode of Point of Inquiry for Halloween night 2006, Joe Nickell, the world's leading paranormal investigator and CSICOP's senior research fellow, and D.J. Grothe (both of whom are former professional magicians) conduct CFI's 10th Annual Houdini Seance. They also explore Houdini's experiences as a "magician among the spirits," recount the ways he challenged the mediums of his day, and discuss his lasting impact on skepticism and society's beliefs about the afterlife. Also in this bonus episode is an audio clip of the last Houdini Seance of which Bess Houdini was a part. The recording, from Halloween night, 1936, was made at the historic Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Point of InquiryBy Center for Inquiry

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

9 ratings


More shows like Point of Inquiry

View all
StarTalk Radio by Neil deGrasse Tyson

StarTalk Radio

14,345 Listeners

Unbelievable? by Premier Unbelievable?

Unbelievable?

2,034 Listeners

Making Sense with Sam Harris by Sam Harris

Making Sense with Sam Harris

26,386 Listeners

EconTalk by Russ Roberts

EconTalk

4,274 Listeners

TheThinkingAtheist by The Thinking Atheist

TheThinkingAtheist

2,860 Listeners

 by

0 Listeners

The Modern Heathen Podcast by Unknown Productions

The Modern Heathen Podcast

12 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

113,515 Listeners

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas by Sean Carroll

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

4,167 Listeners

Festival of Dangerous Ideas by Festival of Dangerous Ideas

Festival of Dangerous Ideas

7 Listeners

John's private podcast feed ~ betaworks events & things I'm listening to.. enjoy 👂 by John Borthwick

John's private podcast feed ~ betaworks events & things I'm listening to.. enjoy 👂

3 Listeners

The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan by Andrew Sullivan

The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan

817 Listeners

The Interview with Hugh Hewitt by Salem Podcast Network

The Interview with Hugh Hewitt

147 Listeners

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart by Comedy Central

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

10,974 Listeners

Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman by Bart Ehrman

Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman

685 Listeners