For the past year, I’ve been performing magic on street corners. In that time, I’ve learned something interesting: people generally don’t get magic. They don’t know what it is or how it works. Most of my audience has never seen a magician before and their only exposure to magic is via television and movies—neither of which are good representations of real-world magic.
To help educate people about the art, I’ve decided to launch a new blog called 7 Facts About Magic You Might Not Know. Each post will contain seven facts on a variety of magic-related topics such as history, basic tricks, and biographies of famous magicians.
The blog will be aimed at a general audience so each post will have to be accessible without requiring any prior knowledge about magic. The tone will be professional but casual (like Buzzfeed) and each post will include images to illustrate difficult concepts.
Magic has been around for thousands of years and has been practised in almost every culture of the world. Here are 7 facts about magic you might not know:
1) Magic is a Performing Art, so the really good magicians are also really good entertainers. If you want to learn magic tricks, you have to think like an entertainer. You have to decide what tricks your audience will like best and which tricks will get the best reactions from them. You should think about whether your audience will be children or adults, or a mix of both. The best way to learn this is by watching other magicians perform.
2) There’s no such thing as “doing magic”. Magic is just a collection of tricks that use slight-of-hand, misdirection, science and psychology to give the illusion that something impossible has happened. When you see me pull a rabbit out of my hat, I don’t actually do magic!
3) Some people mistakenly think that all magic is fake and that magicians simply trick their audiences into thinking they are doing something impossible. Well, there’s some truth in that! But if you take away the lies and trickery from any magician’s performance then all you’re left with is an empty stage! Magicians are
So you’re interested in learning magic? That’s great! You’ve come to the right place. Magic is a wondrous skill that allows ordinary people to perform extraordinary feats of illusion. It takes years of practice, dedication and hard work to make magic look easy, but if you put your mind to it, anyone can do it.
Before we begin, here are some facts about magic you might not know.
1. The oldest known record of a magic trick is from ancient Egypt, where a magician made a snake disappear before the Pharaoh.
2. The word “magic” comes from the Persian magus (meaning “magician”).
3. The earliest evidence for a performing magician dates back to 1768 BCE in ancient Egypt where Dedi was recorded as performing tricks for the pharaoh Khakheperreseneb.
4. Magicians were known as magi in Ancient Greece. These magi made sacrifices to the gods in exchange for magical powers. This is likely where the word “magic” comes from.
5. In medieval times, there was no differentiation between magicians and physicians as both used natural remedies and performed miracles using herbs and other such remedies.
6.
1. Magic goes way back.
Magic is one of the oldest forms of entertainment, dating as far back as 2000 BC. The first recorded magician was a man called Dedi who performed in Ancient Egypt.
2. No one knows exactly where it came from.
The exact origin of magic is, well, a mystery (see what we did there?). There are several different theories but none have ever been proven right or wrong, with common ones suggesting it originated in Ancient China, India and Egypt.
3. Magic has always been popular with royalty.
Throughout history, magicians have performed for kings and queens and other members of the royal family all over the world. In fact, in ancient times you had to be an incredible magician to get royal patrons!
4. It’s not just about rabbits and hats!
Most people think of rabbits being pulled out of hats when they think about magic acts but there’s really so much more to it than that! Of course, there are still plenty of tricks that involve rabbits and hats but the best magicians will be able to do tricks that don’t involve either…and probably some that aren’t even physical illusions at all!
5. All magic tricks can be explained…
Other than amazing sleight of
According to research, magic has been around for over 4,000 years. That’s a lot of history! Considering that the average person would say that magic is a modern thing, it might be surprising to know just how long magic has been around.
The first magician’s were ancient Egyptians. They had a range of tricks from using hidden ropes and threads to create the illusion of levitation to using mirrors to make objects disappear and reappear.
2. The largest magic club in the world is the Magic Circle in London.
The Magic Circle is a society dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic. Founded in 1905, it was established due to many magicians exposing their tricks through books and on stage. Today, The Magic Circle has over 1,500 members from all over the world including some famous faces such as Derren Brown and Dynamo!
3. There is an annual awards ceremony for magicians called The Academy of Magical Arts Awards (The Magic Oscars!)
Every year The Academy of Magical Arts Awards takes place at ‘The Magic Castle’ in Hollywood, California. This amazing hotel venue is where magicians perform close-up and table magic every night and where you will find the very best magicians in the world performing
Magic is a combination of science and art. The term can be used to describe a single trick or the overall performance of a magician. Magic is one of the oldest forms of performance art where the performer uses certain tricks to mystify the audience and appear to display magical powers. Magic is one of the most popular hobbies and a passion for many people. Magicians have been performing since ancient times, but it was only in the last 2 centuries that magic was performed as an entertainment medium.
Here are some interesting facts about magic:
The origins of magic are unknown, but it has been around for thousands of years. The earliest record of magic dates back to 2700 BC in Egypt when magicians were used for healing purposes.
The first recorded professional magician was Dedi, who performed for Pharaoh Khufu in 2400 BC.
In 18th century BC, magicians were important figures in China, India, Greece and Rome and they were known as sorcerers or wizards.
Magical performances were given at temples or other religious places mostly used to heal people.
Magic evolved with time and became a popular form of entertainment in Europe during 19th century.
One of the biggest magic shows is held every year in Las Vegas called Criss Angel Believe by Cirque
I am a busking magician. I work in the streets of London, trying to make enough money to get me by and maybe even save whatever amount I can. In this blog I will be talking about magic and the facts that you didnt know.
The earliest record of magic was found in the ruins of Babylonian, Chinese and Egyptian temples from as far back as 2700 B.C. It is believed that there were originally no magicians but instead witches and sorcerers who used spells and incantations for their magic. Around 1800 B.C., Egyptian medicine men began to perform magic tricks as part of their healing rituals.
The word ‘magic’ comes from Magi, the Persian priestly caste of Zoroastrianism, who were thought to be able to command supernatural powers. The ancient Greeks believed that Magicians possessed supernatural powers that enabled them to transform themselves into animals or objects, read people’s minds, predict the future and control natural forces such as wind and rain. The Romans also believed in magic, believing it could cure diseases.
It is believed that during the Middle Ages witches were executed after being accused of using black magic against Christians.