This is definitely a trick that you can’t try at home. Magician David Copperfield blew everyone’s mind in 1983 when he made the 310-foot tall Statue of Liberty disappear.
The trick was broadcast on television as a live special and also took place in front of a live audience. Leaving people around the world wondering, so how did he do it?
Walking Through The Wall Trick
Have you ever wished you could walk through walls? I know that after you saw Harry Potter you did. Well sorry to be a dream killer but unfortunately, it isn’t possible and never will be. So, if you saw a magician walk through a wall, then you can safely assume he was up to no good! You were probably wondering how in the world did he make that happen.
Well magicians, like us, are human. There’s a pretty clever explanation for how they manage to pull this off without a trip to the hospital and a body cast. So if it’s not actually possible to go through walls, then how do they pull this off?
The Secret Behind The Wall Trick
So are you ready to find out the answer? Can we get a drum roll, please? The answer is… under. The magician doesn’t actually go through the wall but under it! There is a tunnel built into the wall that stretches from one side to the other. Although it may appear to the audience that the magician is dashing through the wall, he is really just ducking under the wall into a tunnel and coming out on the other side.
Hence, the reason why there are sheets covering everything during this trick.
Secret Behind the Statue of Liberty Disappearing
Although Copperfield is amazing, he didn’t really magic away the iconic monument, instead, he very cleverly moved the stage. The audience didn’t know it, but they were seated on a rotating platform. Copperfield brought up a giant screen and while it was closed, he turned the stage just a tiny bit.
The real statue was then hidden by one of the posts that were holding up the screen. The lights around it were turned off and the second set of identical lights was turned on out at sea. Viola, a negative space that looks just like the original appeared.
Hand Through Glass Trick
Just like walking through walls, it is always cool when a magician manages to convince us that he can move some part of his body through a solid object. One of the oldest tricks of this type is the hand through the glass trick. First, the magician taps the glass to show you that it is solid.
He may even have a volunteer from the audience check that it is just regular glass. Then a scarf or some other item is put through first and the finale is when the magician puts his whole hand through the seemingly solid glass.