He escaped from ropes, handcuffs, chains and straitjackets. He could swallow 100 needles and 20 yards of thread with nothing more than a drink of water. But perhaps the most daring stunt performed by legendary escape artist Harry Houdini was breaking free from the belly of an 1,500 pound “sea monster” that washed up on Boston harbour. Historians still aren’t sure what the creature was, but Houdini escaped from its rotting corpse in 15 minutes.

While Houdini is remembered as one of the greatest illusionists, his tricks came in handy during the first World War. In a series of classes held at the New York Hippodrome, Houdini coached boys on how to escape sinking shops and break free from restraints in the event of capture by the Germans.