Historical Context: August, 1926

The Pottstown Theatre in Pottstown, Pennsylvania opened its doors in 1925 with a seating capacity of 1,076. The week of Aug. 16-21, 1926, began with a new silent picture from Cecil B. deMille, Road to Yesterday (1925) (see Movie Facts). The theatre, now demolished, is one of more than 61,000 listed at the Internet site Cinema Treasures.

Historically, on Aug. 5, 1926, magician and escape artist Harry Houdini performed one of his greatest stunts, remaining underwater for a full 11/2 hours. He was locked inside a metal coffin, then lowered into a swimming pool. To ensure the veracity of the stunt, the event was witnessed by a group of newspaper reporters. The ‘trick’ was Houdini managed to survive using a shallow breathing technique in the confined space. He ended the stunt after 91 minutes underwater.