Lulu Hurst

Lulu Hurst
Born 1869
Died 1950
Nationality American
Occupation Stage magician
Lulu Hurst demonstrates her technique of overpowering three men on a chair.

Lulu Hurst (1869-1950) was an American stage magician.

Under the stage name the "Georgia Wonder" or "Laughing Lulu", the teenage Hurst specialised in demonstrations of supernormal strength. Her act involved having a number of men hold an object (such as a chair or pole), and then moving the object and the men holding it with an apparently light touch.[1] Her performances were popular in the early 1880s, drawing crowds in major cities such as Atlanta, New York, Indianapolis,[2] and Chicago.[3] She performed for only two years, before cancelling a planned European tour and retiring in 1885 (aged 16).[4][5] Soon after her retirement, she married her manager.[3] She later admitted, in her biography, that her "supernatural" powers were in fact due to the judicious application of body mechanics and deflection of force, although she claimed that, during her teenage years, she herself had believed them to be genuine.[3][4]

References

  1. ↑ Harrington, Hugh; Remembering Milledgeville: historic tales from Georgia's antebellum capital, The History Press, 2005 ISBN 978-1-59629-041-9 p129
  2. ↑ "The Magnetic Woman who Overpowered Indy". HistoricIndianapolis.com.
  3. 1 2 3 Nickell, J; Secrets of the sideshows, University of Kentucky Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-8131-2358-5
  4. 1 2 Hutto, J. and TcGehee, L.;Southern seen: meditations on past and present, University of Tennessee Press, 2005, ISBN 978-1-57233-359-8 p188-189
  5. ↑ New Georgia Encyclopedia: "Georgia Wonder" phenomenon Retrieved 1st March 2012
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