Joaquín Argamasilla
Joaquín María Argamasilla de la Cerda y Elío (Madrid, April 4, 1905 – 1985) was a Spanish noble who was the 11th Marquis de Santacara , but he is better known for claiming in the early 1920s a supposed ability to see through opaque objects. Argamasilla convinced important people of the era such as Gustav Geley and Charles Richet of his powers,[1] but he was exposed by Harry Houdini as a fraud in 1924.[2]
Biography
Joaquín Argamasilla was encouraged in his parapsychology career by his father, the Marquis de Santa Cara, who was convinced that his son had psychic powers. He soon begins to make demonstrations of his power reading paper sheets tucked inside sealed boxes or guessing the hour of clocks (previously handled) also placed indoors. Among the audience of these shows was the Spanish writer Valle-Inclan, who was a friend of the father of the psychic and became convinced that Joaquín's powers were real.[3]
Argamasilla's fame led him in 1924 to Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City. There he met magician Houdini who became convinced that he was a fraud that just peeked through his simple blindfold and lifted up the edge of the box so he could look inside it without others noticing. Argamasilla could not replicate his abilities when forced to do the same with a box not owned by him.[4]
Argamasilla never did another psychic demonstration. He later became CEO of Film and Theatre Academy (1952-1955).[5]
In fiction
A fictional version of Argamasilla (in which his powers turns out to be real) appears in the 14th episode of the Spanish science-fiction series El Ministerio del Tiempo.[6]
References
- ↑ Polidoro, Massimo (2001). Final Séance: The Strange Friendship Between Houdini and Conan Doyle. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. pp. 171–172. ISBN 1-57392-896-8.
- ↑ Nickell, Joe (2007). Adventures in Paranormal Investigation. Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky. pp. 213–215. ISBN 978-0-8131-2467-4.
- ↑ Valle-Inclán, Harry Houdini y el hombre que tenía rayos X en los ojos in ramonmayrata.com
- ↑ El español con Raxos X que desafió a Houdini en abc.es
- ↑ El español con visión de rayos X in magonia.es
- ↑ "'El Ministerio del Tiempo' viaja al Nueva York de Houdini en 'Tiempo de magia'". RTVE. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
Further reading
- Harry Houdini. (1924). A Complete Exposure of Argamasilla, the Famous Spaniard who Baffled Noted Scientists of Europe and America, with His Claim to X-ray Vision. Adams Press.