Timeline of magic exposures

Timeline of magic exposures, secrets of how magic effects are performed were exposed to the public, which caused concerns to magicians of the day.

Prior to 1800s and the modern magician

• BC - The Apocrypha, written around the late 2nd century BC, tells the story of how Daniel exposed the priests at the Temple of Baal in Babylon, proving to King Cyrus how they had deceived him with a trick.

• 1584 - Reginald Scot exposed medieval witchcraft and magic in The Discoverie of Witchcraft

• 1780s - Henri Decremps, who became upset with the Italian conjurer Chevalier Pinetti, exposed many of his tricks in La Magie blanche dévoilée (White Magic Unveiled).

• 1785 – The Conjurer Unmasked by Thomas Denton was a translation of Decremps' book in English. Denton wrote in the preface: ". . . We promise for a certainty that it will operate as a spring to the industry of performers in that art by compelling them to some new inventions to deceive and amuse us."

• 1797 - Kosmann, a professor of physics in Germany, also explaining Pinetti’s experiments. Originally in periodical publications, these elucidations were collected, bound together and published in Berlin in the year 1797. The English translation of the title was "Chevalier Pinetti’s Recreations in Physics, or Explanation of His Tricks."

1800s

• 1811 - John Rannie, before the conclusion of his American tour, exposed the tricks in his repertoire, justifying this practice on the grounds that they too could then perform these feats. From his advertisement in Boston, January, 1811: "The audience may make choice of Twelve Deceptions, all of which he will lay open to their satisfaction."

• 1858 - Professor Wiljalba Frikell, advertised in The Times: "Notice - Professor Frikell begs to announce that in consequence of numerous numerous applications to him for lessons in magic, which he regrets he has been unable to accede to, he has the honour to inform his patrons that he will, during the remainder of the series between the second and third parts of each performance, give an explanation of one of his most popular tricks".

• 1865 - Henry Hatton, as P.H.C and P. H. Cannon, contributed "Lessons In Magic" to "Our Young Folks", "Harper's Young People" and "Harper's Round Table". Hatton also exposed a number of Robert Heller's effects in "The Century Magazine", among them Heller's Second Sight code. He also exposed the Sphinx Illusion in Our Young Folks for November, 1866, only a year after its invention. Frederick Powell and A.M. Wilson both got interested in magic from reading Hatton's series of articles on magic in "Our Young Folks".

• 1873 Professor Hoffman begins to supply magic tricks to "Every Boy's Annual" or " Boy's Own Paper ", a popular magazine for boys in London, England. Hoffman claims that he placed them there because magicians were so unprogressive and would not alter their acts. He continues to supply tricks to the magazine until 1877.

• 1876 - Hoffman publishes his serial in book form as Modern Magic. Mr. Maskelyne, when hearing that Prof. Hoffmann was launching Modern Magic on the market stated "Now we must invent new tricks." Hoffman eventually became a Member of the Inner Magic Circle, known as the "Grand Old Man of Magic" and his writings were termed the "Conjuror's Bible". This book was rated one of the "Ten basic books for a working library of conjuring" by H. Adrian Smith.

• 1885 - Charles Bertram during his appearances at the Egyptian Hall for Maskelyne & Cooke advertised that "In addition to the gems of Mr Bertram's marvellous repertoire he will EXPLAIN SOME WONDERFUL TRICKS for the benefit of the boys home for their holidays." Precisely what those tricks were is a mystery that remains unexplained, but mostly like were simple ones.

• 1890 - English popular press (The Coloured Pictorial, The New Penny Magazine, The Royal Magazine, The Windsor, The Metropolitan, The Strand) starting in the 1890 printed magic tricks as publicity items from Houdini, Howard Thurston, T. Nelson Downs, Nate Leipzig, P. T. Selbit, Oswald Williams, Servais Le Roy, Talma, Horace Goldin, Charles Bertram, Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant.

• In Mahatma August 1899, it was reported that Herr Carl Willmann of Hamburg, Germany (1849 - 1934 a well known manufacturer of magical apparatus), editor of the Zaubervelt, "advocates the forming of a society of performers and amateurs to devise means of putting a stop to the abuse of publicly exposing the secrets of tricks, resorted to by some performers to the detriment of the art."

1900 - 1910

• During the 1900s, Clinton Burgess, within his column in Mahatma, roasted the various exposes of the days and carried on a campaign against all forms of magical exposure.

• 1900 - In Mahatma (June 1900), Walter G. Peterkin stated about exposure that "much of the evil is no doubt due to the bad example set by Kellar and the late Alexander Herrmann, both of whom allowed, at times, exposes to figure on their programs. In fact Kellar in late years gives practically an illustrated lecture on palming coins, showing all the moves even to the reverse palm."

• 1902 - Charles Bertram exposed the Diminishing Cards in "Simple Conjuring Tricks for Christmas" in The Daily Mail on 23 December 1902, following the publication of The Modern Conjurer.

• 1902 - The Society of American Magicians, founded on May 10, 1902 was founded on "the elevation of the Art of Magic, the promotion of harmony among magicians, and the opposition of the unnecessary public exposure of magical effects".

• 1903 - The Drawing Room Entertainer (Cecil H. Bullivant) and Magic Made Easy (David Devant) were published by C. Arthur Pearson, Ltd. in London as inexpensive (only one or two shillings a piece) paperback books. These series of books on conjuring as other allied arts were published until 1930 in a standard format of illustrated yellow covers. This series becomes known as the Yellow Perils because they posed a threat of wide public exposure that seemed analogous to the then current (since 1898) catch-phrase "Yellow Peril", for the widely perceived threat to Western civilization of the so-called "Yellow Races" of East Asia.

• 1909. The Royal Magazine ran a series of eight articles by David Devant beginning with the December 1908 issue in which he explained many of his illusions interspersed with anecdotes. These led to him being expelled from the Magic Circle (for the first time).

• 1909 - Order of the Magi, also known as Manchester's Magicians' Society, was organized for "the purpose of binding together in friendly co-operation those interested in the Art of Magic, and to prevent, as far as possible, the abuse of secrets and exposure of methods which are not common to the general public, and in every other way to raise the status of the Magician."

1910s

• 1910 Henry Hatton with Adrian Plate publish "Magicians' Tricks, How They Are Done" which draws the wrath of many colleagues by permitting key sections to be reprinted in "St. Nicholas", a bestselling magazine for boys. The tricks were originally serialized in "Our Young Folks" between March, 1865, and October, 1868 in Boston.. The scandal did not have too much on an effect on Hatton as he was later elected President of the SAM in 1912.

• 1911 - The Philadelphia "North American" newspaper ran a series exposing Thurston's best illusions before he arrived in town. Thurston played to packed houses when he did arrive.

• 1912 The film "Spiritualism Exposed" presented the preparations of a seance, where the mysterious floating hand appears, the manipulating of the bells and tambourines . . . . and as each event happens, for the benefit of the audience, the preparations and method of working these fakes was also provided. The methods for producing the effects of reading sealed letters and of spirit slate writings were are exposed.

• 1912 – The Australian Society of Magicians objects in The Magic Mirror to the traveling magician Wong Tong Sun exposing magic secrets to the public press on the Bullet Catch.

• 1913 - A New York newspaper reveals the secrets of many stage illusions, getting the material from models supplied by Dr. Ellison of the S.A.M.

• July 1913 issue of Popular Mechanics explains the sliding dice box. This magazine would continue to expose magic and be a thorn in the magicians side for over 50 years, even getting some members which help the magazine expelled.

• March 1915 The Crystal Coffin is exposed and explained by Hereward Carrington in the Modern Mechanics.

• October 1915 Sphinx reported by "Society of Twin City Magicians" a successful attempt to stop exposure. "During Fair week, a magician was billed at the Powers Mercantile Co,, Minneapolis. He was to give and expose the following illusions: Cremation, Spider and the Fly, Ashra, Handcuffs, Noah's Ark, etc. He started out bravely, but our prevention committee, S. L. Poziski, got busy with the manager of the above concern, with the result that a clamp was put on the gentleman who was doing things and no intentional exposes were made."

• November, 1915 - Charles Oursler (aka Samri Frikell) authored "Magic Tricks for the Boy Wizard to Perform" in the issue of "The Woman's Home Companion" which exposed five tricks: Bracelet on Cord, dissolving Half Dollar (glass disc fake), Traveling Egg and The Mystic Afghan Bands, and the magic appearance of a streamer of ribbon by which he exposed one of the subtlest productions known to magicians. It was then reported in the Demon's Club Annual for 1915 that Oursler was expelled from the club for exposing.

• 1917 - Dr. Nix attended in person a film of his magic at a theater. As the picture was being shown he 'pattered' to each trick. Afterward it was announced on the screen: 'Dr Nix will now show you how these wonderful things are done.' The programme was repeated and each trick in its turn exposed.

• 1918 - The Pentz's Active League of Magicians, P.A.L.M., is formed by Collins Pentz whose main purpose was to speak against exposure of magic secrets. They only lasted a year.

• 1919 Exposures continue to be reported in many science related magazines include "Electrical Experimenter", "Popular Science Monthly" and "Popular Mechanics".