Harry Houdini, the greatest magician of all time, died on on 31 October 1926. Infamously, the escape artist claimed that he could take any blow to the stomach. He was proved horrifically wrong in inevitable fashion. He died of a ruptured appendix after being repeatedly punched in the stomach by a student, J. Gordon Whitehead. Probably aware that he has a reputation to protect, Houdini refused medical treatment and died a few days later.
