No one was as successful at impersonation and forgery as William Ellsworth Robinson (1861–1918). Nor has anyone failed as spectacularly as Robinson did in front of hundred of people, before the age of ...

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What it’s about: At the beginning of the 20th century, audiences across Europe were wowed by a Chinese magician who drew on ancient Asian mysticism to perform illusions and contact the spirit realm.

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The magician enters upon a stage, and removing a covering from a small table, shakes it before the audience to show that there is nothing whatever concealed inside, places the cloth upon the floor, ...