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To view past articles or propose a new feature article for the main page, visit the [[MagicPedia_talk:Today%27s_featured_article|discussion page]].
Previous featured articles are located in [[:Category:Featured Article]]


Proposed candidates are listed in [[:Category:Featured Article Candidate]]
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[[Jochen Zmeck]], the patriarch of German Magic, was a consultant, magic judge and author (of over 50 books).
[[File: JNHilliard.png|right|thumb|200px|[[ John Northern Hilliard]]]]


His first magic show was at 14 years old, before he went on to become a teacher. After the World War II he taught chemistry in Bernau, a small town north east of Berlin, and would often show a magic trick if the class did well.
'''John Northern Hilliard''' (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man  and clever amateur magician.


Zmeck  worked for an East German movie company, DEFA, as a consultant and as an actor playing a magician in children specials. With his wife Helma as his stage assistant they traveled around the world performing starting in 1962.
== Biography ==
Hilliard was dramatic critic with The Chicago Herald and later on the staff of The Rochester (N. Y.) Post Express. After moving to New York, he met [[Howard Thurston]] while a reporter on The New York World and became interested in magic. John was credited with securing the master magician with his first engagement on the stage. Several years later Thurston induced Hilliard to give up his newspaper work and become his personal representative.


In 1997 a serious accident put a stop to his many activities, retiring to a small village next to Bernau called Rüdnitz. He became an honorary member of the [[German Magic Circle]], the Magic Circle of Israel, The magic circles of Moscow, and  the Austrian Graz.  
With the urging of [[Floyd G. Thayer]], John starting writing for [[Thayer's Magical Bulletin]] magazine. In 1925, Hilliard became an advance man for The Thurston show. During this time he accumulated notes on what he was learning about magic. In 1932, Carl Waring Jones urged him to turn his notes into a book, offering to publish it. But Hilliard suddenly died of a heart attack in 1935 while in a hotel room in Indianapolis.


== Awards ==
[[John Northern Hilliard|Read more about John Northern Hilliard…]]
* "Writers of the Year", [[Magic Circle]] (1991)
[[Jochen Zmeck|Read more about Jochen Zmeck...]]

Latest revision as of 09:23, 20 February 2026

Previous featured articles are located in Category:Featured Article

Proposed candidates are listed in Category:Featured Article Candidate

John Northern Hilliard (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man and clever amateur magician.

Biography

Hilliard was dramatic critic with The Chicago Herald and later on the staff of The Rochester (N. Y.) Post Express. After moving to New York, he met Howard Thurston while a reporter on The New York World and became interested in magic. John was credited with securing the master magician with his first engagement on the stage. Several years later Thurston induced Hilliard to give up his newspaper work and become his personal representative.

With the urging of Floyd G. Thayer, John starting writing for Thayer's Magical Bulletin magazine. In 1925, Hilliard became an advance man for The Thurston show. During this time he accumulated notes on what he was learning about magic. In 1932, Carl Waring Jones urged him to turn his notes into a book, offering to publish it. But Hilliard suddenly died of a heart attack in 1935 while in a hotel room in Indianapolis.

Read more about John Northern Hilliard…