Magic has been around for about 5,000 years or so. The Westcar Papyrus, tells five tales of illusionists performing in the Pharaohs' courts. As one messy story goes, a magician named Dedi beheaded and then restored several animals for Egyptian king, Cheops.

Street magic seems new, but it's not. Ancient Greek tales describe street magicians performing variations of the "cups and balls" trick (using rocks instead of balls).   Magicians didn't have anywhere but the street to perform and they didn't carry their own props; they had to use Things they could find or get from their audience to perform slight-of-hand illusions.

The Indian Rope Trick was described over 600 years ago, but it's impossible to recreate as told. The full trick goes like this: a magician suspends a rope in the air while a boy climbs up it hurling insults at the audience. The magician follows, disappears out of sight and body parts rain down on the ground. The magician descends the rope, picks up the parts, puts them in a basket and shakes it. The boy then emerges from the basket unharmed. Only parts of this famous trick can be recreated as told.

And then there was Black Herman - a magician who won fame and fortune for being buried alive and then coming back to life - even after his death. One night he collapsed onstage and really died. After which his faithful fans gathered outside the funeral home, waiting to see the rest of the "trick." Herman's assistant, who knew his boss better than anyone, suggested to the funeral home that the magician would have charged admission. So they did.

Sadly for his fans, Black Herman didn't come back from his last trick. And there were no refunds offered.

See you next week,
Bobby