David Blaine

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Blaine
 Blaine in 2008

Born April 4, 1973 (age 51)

New York City, U.S.

 Illusionist
Occupations
 endurance artist

Years active 1997–present

Partner Alizée Guinochet (2008–2014)

Children 1

YouTube information

Channel  DavidBlaine

Years active 2005–present

Genres  Magic
  Stunts

Subscribers 1.84 million[1]

Total views 326 million[1]

Last updated: 27 January 2024

Website Official website

Signature

David Blaine (born April 4, 1973)[2] is an American magician, mentalist, and endurance performer.[3]
[4]
Born in New York City, Blaine became interested in magic at a very young age. He gained
prominence in 1997, when his first television special, David Blaine: Street Magic, aired on ABC. That
year, he also appeared in Magic Man. He later starred in the television specials David Blaine: Real
or Magic (2013), Beyond Magic (2016), and The Magic Way (2020).
Known for his dangerous stunts, in 2008 he attempted to break the Guinness World Record for
breath holding. He succeeded in holding his breath for 17 minutes 4 seconds, setting a new world
record for oxygen assisted static apnea. He is the author of Mysterious Stranger: A Book of
Magic (2002), an autobiography and armchair treasure hunt with instructions on performing magic
tricks.

Early life[edit]
Blaine was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of a single mother,[2] Patrice White, a
teacher who was of Russian Jewish ancestry, and a father who is a Vietnam War veteran of Puerto
Rican and Italian descent.[5]
When Blaine was four years old, he saw a magician performing magic on the subway. This sparked
a lifelong interest for him.[6] He was raised by his mother and attended a Montessori school in
Brooklyn. They later moved to Little Falls, New Jersey,[7] where he attended Passaic Valley Regional
High School.[8]
Per one account, his mother developed cancer when Blaine was 15 and died when he was 20. [8] Per
another, "When Blaine was 21, his mother was stricken with cancer and passed away in
1994."[2] When Blaine was 17 years old, he moved to Manhattan, New York City.[9]

Stunts and specials[edit]

Street Magic (1997) and Magic Man (1998)[edit]
On May 19, 1997, Blaine's first television special, David Blaine: Street Magic, aired on ABC.[10] "It
really, really does break new ground," said Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller.[11] When asked about his
performance style, Blaine explained, "I'd like to bring magic back to the place it used to be 100 years
ago."[12] Time commented, "His deceptively low-key, ultracool manner leaves spectators more
amazed than if he'd razzle-dazzled."[13]
In Magic Man, aired January 16, 1998, Blaine is shown traveling across the country, entertaining
unsuspecting pedestrians in Atlantic City, Compton, Dallas, the Mojave Desert, New York City, and
San Francisco, recorded by a small crew with handheld cameras. Jon Racherbaumer commented:
"Make no mistake about it, the focus of this show, boys and girls, is not Blaine. It is really about
theatrical proxemics; about the show-within-a-show and the spontaneous, visceral reactions of
people being astonished."[14] USA Today called Blaine the "hottest name in magic right now".[15]
Buried Alive (1999)[edit]
On April 5, 1999, Blaine was entombed in an underground plastic box underneath a 3-ton water-
filled tank for seven days, across from Trump Place on 68th St. and Riverside Boulevard, as part of
a stunt titled "Buried Alive". According to CNN, "Blaine's only communication to the outside world
was by a hand buzzer, which could have alerted an around-the-clock emergency crew standing
by." BBC News reported that the plastic coffin had six inches (150 millimetres) of headroom and two
inches (51 millimetres) on each side.[citation needed]
On the final day of the stunt, April 12, hundreds of news teams were stationed at the site for the
coffin opening. A team of construction workers removed a portion of the 75 cubic feet (2.1 m3) of
gravel surrounding the 6-foot (1.8-metre) deep coffin before a crane lifted the water tank. [16] Blaine
emerged and told the crowd, "I saw something very prophetic ... a vision of every race, every
religion, every age group banding together, and that made all this worthwhile." [17] BBC News stated,
"The 26-year-old magician has outdone his hero, Harry Houdini, who had planned a similar feat but
died in 1926 before he could perform it."[18]
Frozen in Time (2000)[edit]
On November 27, 2000, Blaine performed a stunt called Frozen in Time, where he attempted and
failed to stand in a large block of ice located in Times Square, New York City for 72 hours.[19] It was
covered on a TV special. He was lightly dressed and appeared to be shivering even before the
blocks of ice were placed around him. A tube supplied him with air and water, while his urine was
removed with another tube. He was encased in the box of ice for 63 hours, 42 minutes, and 15
seconds before being removed with chainsaws. The ice was transparent and resting on an elevated
platform to show that he was actually inside the ice the entire time. He was removed from the ice
and taken to a hospital due to fears he might be going into shock.[20] The New York Times reported,
"The magician who emerged from the increasingly unstable ice box seemed a shadow of the
confident, robust, shirtless fellow who entered two days before."[21] Blaine later said it took a month to
fully recover and that he had no plans to attempt a stunt of this difficulty in the future. [22] In 2010, a
magician from Israel named Hezi Dean broke Blaine's record when he was encased in a block of ice
for 66 hours.[23]
Vertigo (2002)[edit]
On May 22, 2002, a crane lifted Blaine onto a 100 ft (30 m) high and 22 in (0.56 m) wide pillar
in Bryant Park, New York City. He was not harnessed to the pillar, although there were two
retractable handles on either side of him to grasp in the event of harsh weather. [24] He remained on
the pillar for 35 hours. He ended the feat by jumping down onto a landing platform made out of a
12 ft (3.7 m) high pile of cardboard boxes and sustained a mild concussion.[25] He later said in his
2009 TED Talk that he had had severe hallucinations in the final hours of this stunt, causing the
buildings and structures around him to look like animal heads.[26]
Above the Below (2003)[edit]
 David Blaine, Above the Below
On September 5, 2003, Blaine began an endurance stunt in which he was sealed inside a
transparent Plexiglas box. The case was suspended 30 feet (9.1 metres) in the air next to Potters
Fields Park on the south bank of the River Thames in London, and measured 3 feet (0.9 metres) by
7 feet (2.1 metres) by 7 feet (2.1 metres). A webcam was installed inside the box so that viewers
could observe his progress. The stunt lasted 44 days, during which Blaine drank 1.2 US gallons (4.5
litres) of water per day and did not eat.[27]
The stunt was the subject of public interest and media attention, The Times reported that "1,614
articles in the British press have made reference to the exploit."[28] Then-US president George W.
Bush referred to Blaine's stunt in a speech at the Whitehall Palace in London, saying, "The last
noted American to visit London stayed in a glass box dangling over the Thames. A few might have
been happy to provide similar arrangements for me."[29] A number of spectators threw food and other
items towards the box, including eggs, paint-filled balloons and golf balls, according to The Times.
[28]
A McDonald's hamburger was flown up to the box by a remote-controlled helicopter as a taunt.
[30]
The Evening Standard reported that one man was arrested for attempting to cut the cable
supplying water to Blaine's box.[31][32]
On September 25, BBC News reported that "if his endurance test is real rather than an elaborate
illusion", then Blaine's claim of tasting pear drops indicates he is advancing through the first stage of
starvation.[33] A medical doctor said that the taste is caused by ketones, which are produced when the
body burns fat reserves.
The stunt ended on October 19, and Blaine emerged in tears saying "I love you all!" and was
subsequently hospitalized. The New England Journal of Medicine published a paper that
documented his 44-day fast and stated his re-feeding was perhaps the most dangerous part of the
stunt.[34] The study reported, "He lost 24.5 kg (54 lb)‍—‌25 percent of his original body weight‍—‌and
his body mass index dropped from 29.0 to 21.6. His appearance and body-mass index after his fast
would not by themselves have alerted us to the risks of refeeding. Despite cautious management, he
had hypophosphatemia and fluid retention, important elements of the refeeding syndrome."[35]
Drowned Alive (2006)[edit]
 Blaine performing the Drowned Alive stunt at
the Lincoln Center
On May 1, 2006, Blaine began his Drowned Alive stunt, which lasted seven days and involved a
submersion in an 8 feet (2.4 m) diameter, water-filled sphere containing isotonic saline in front of
the Lincoln Center in New York City. During the stunt, he sustained kidney and liver damage.[36] At
the end of the stunt, Blaine attempted to free himself from handcuffs and chains after exiting the
sphere.[37] After the stunt, Blaine entered into an agreement with researchers at Yale University to
monitor him in order to study the human physiological reaction to prolonged submersion. [38]
Revolution (2006)[edit]
On November 21, 2006, Blaine began his Revolution stunt, where he was shackled to a
rotating gyroscope without food or water, intending to escape within 16 hours. Blaine completed the
stunt 52 hours later.[39]
Guinness World Records (2008)[edit]
Blaine appeared on the April 30, 2008, episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show to attempt to break
the Guinness World Record for oxygen-assisted static apnea, following his failure to break the then-
current record of unassisted static apnea in his previous attempt Drowned Alive.[40] The previous
record was set by Peter Colat of Switzerland on February 10, 2008.[41]
Before entering the 1,800-US-gallon (6.8-cubic-metre) water tank, Blaine spent 23 minutes inhaling
pure oxygen. Blaine held his breath for 17 minutes 4-1/2 seconds, surpassing Colat's previous mark
of 16 minutes 32 seconds,[42] setting a new Guinness World Record[43] that stood until September 19,
2008, when it was surpassed by German diver Tom Sietas who during an episode of the American
talk show Live with Regis and Kelly, held his breath for 17 minutes, 19 seconds.[44]
Dive of Death (2008)[edit]
 Blaine with Donald Trump announcing Blaine's
next event in the atrium of Trump Tower in September 2008
On September 18, 2008, Blaine announced his The Upside Down Man performance with Donald
Trump. Blaine planned to hang upside down without a safety net for 60 hours. On September 22,
Blaine began his stunt Dive of Death, hanging over Wollman Rink in Central Park and interacting
with fans by lowering himself upside down. He pulled himself up to drink fluid and restore normal
circulation. Reportedly, Blaine risked blindness and other maladies in the stunt. [45] He was criticized
when, only hours into the endurance challenge, he was seen standing on a waiting crane platform,
not upside down as expected.[46] During the stunt, he came down once an hour for a medical check
and to use the bathroom.[47]

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Blaine