Although at first glance one might think that the figure represented on the 30-centimeter-diameter marble sphere preserved in the Acropolis Museum in Athens is the Statue of Liberty, in reality, the idea it represents is much older. The geometric symbols carved on the sides of the image and above it add a bit more mystery […]
Magic
Posted inAncient Rome
First Mention of the Word ‘Abracadabra’: in a Roman Medical Work from the 2nd Century AD
When we read or hear the expression Abracadabra, we immediately think of witchcraft, enchantments, magic, and things of that nature. Until a few years ago, many magicians used it in their performances, and possibly some still do. The word is not a modern invention; in fact, its age and origin are unknown. Some etymologies suggest […]
Posted inSecond World War
Jasper Maskelyne, the magician who fooled the Germans with his tricks in World War II
In 1983, the famous magician David Copperfield caused a sensation by making the New York City Statue of Liberty disappear in a live television broadcast. It is curious that almost forty years before, in the middle of World War II, another illusionist also performed a magical feat of great proportions, although in his case it […]