Columbus-born magician Howard Thurston, well known in the Roaring ’20s, did card tricks and made women levitate and vanish.
It is interesting to note that one of the greatest magicians in American history — if not our greatest prestidigitator — did not come from one of our great cities or from inherited wealth and favor.Like many in his chosen profession, some elements of Thurston’s story are not well recorded. But the basic parts of his history are well known and compose a remarkable story of energy and determination leading to professional success.
Thurston was born in Columbus on July 20, 1869. Columbus at that moment was a city on the verge of extremely rapid growth. A town of 18,000 in 1860, Columbus had served as a major mobilization and training center during the Civil War. By 1869, Columbus was a commercial hub as well as a capital city of more than 30,000 residents.
Thurston used the money he had earned in Europe and America to expand the scope and reach of his magical program. He began to be well known for a show that regularly changed and included levitating attractive young women who would “float” above the footlights before vanishing completely. By 1908, Thurston had returned to America, prepared to challenge the fame of Harry Keller, then the country’s most famous magician. Thurston and Keller worked together on several shows, and Keller eventually passed his cape and legacy on to Thurston.
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