Harry Houdini enthralled the world with his feats of magic, most notably his escape acts. Some time in the 1920’s, after his mother died, he gave up his career as a magician and used his talents to expose self-proclaimed psychics and mediums. While his exposes earned him great respect within the academic and scientific communities, he made some powerful enemies with people who believed in spirituality and the paranormal.

His death from peritonitis, stemming from a beating and a subsequent ruptured appendix, was widely accepted. However, some believed that he was poisoned by a group called the “Spiritualists.” Houdini’s great nephew, George Hardeen, wants to have his body exhumed so a forensic team can examine the remains. He and his lawyer were scheduled to appear before a New York judge today.