Magicians have a long-held code that no magician will ever reveal how to perform a trick or illusion. These magicians guard this oath at all costs. During the last 10-15 years, magicians have been breaking that code of silence. That makes old-time magicians very upset. They are worried about new magic tricks secrets revealed and how that will impact their careers. Are they justified in their concerns? Let us see.

Harry Houdini had no illusions that his tricks were just that, tricks. He did not believe he had supernatural powers. He was a showman and he knew it. Spiritualism was a huge draw for many people who lived during Houdini’s time. Houdini did not believe any of it. He knew that these spiritualists were just doing trickery, and that their claims of supernatural power were totally false. Houdini made it his business to expose the fraud being perpetrated on people desperate to contact deceased loved ones and were willing to pay any price to do that.

Perhaps the most famous pair of new magic tricks secrets revealed is Penn & Teller. By 1996, they had been on television exposing trade secrets. Despite the fact that most of what they were revealing was old magic tricks with their particular spin on them, and the fact that all they revealed was the part they added, other magicians were furious. In their opinion, Penn & Teller were completely out of line.

James Randi, aka The Amazing Randi, is a former magician who has worked in television, written books and is now the head of the James Randi Foundation. He, like Houdini, enjoys exposing fraudulent magicians, faith healers and others claiming supernatural powers. James Randi has debunked Uri Geller’s spoon-bending trick, as well as many so-called faith healers. Randi’s foundation has a standing offer to pay one million United States dollars to anyone whose supernatural claims can stand up to scientific scrutiny. So far the money remains in a bank account.

One of the more extensive series of shows was that of the Masked Magician who had a television show on the FOX network during the 1990s about new magic tricks secrets revealed. He claimed he wore the mask for his own protection from the wrath of other magicians. He finally removed his mask and showed the world that he was Val Valentino (not his real name). The Masked Magician showed how some of the biggest magic tricks were performed, such as appearing to fly and the lady becoming a tiger. This exposure did not please his fellow magicians.

Val Valentino has born the fury of other magicians claiming that Valentino has ruined their careers. They believe that since people know how the trick works, they will not watch their performances. Valentino claims that his motive for revealing magic tricks was strictly to promote magic as a profession and to get kids interested in doing magic tricks. He did, however, make a tidy sum of money for doing the shows on FOX.

Barry and Stuart, a UK-based magic act, did a series of television shows focusing on biblical miracles. They showed how Jesus could look like he was walking on water and how Moses could have split the Red Sea. Leaders of the religious community did not appreciate the shows done by these two men, although the general public did.

In the opinion of the old-school magicians, these six magicians who have revealed the secrets of a magician’s livelihood are traitors. But, the question remains. Did revelation of how illusions work harm magic? Will people still go to see the shows now that they know how many of the tricks are performed? It is not clear whether or not revelation of these secrets has hurt magic. It does appear that the public, even if they have had these new magic tricks secrets shown to them, do still like to watch magic shows.

Don’t lose the opportunity to get some cool magic. You can surprise your family and friends with a whole new set of magic tricks today!