Hadji Ali was a
vaudeville performance artist famous for acts of controlled
regurgitation.
Thought to be of Egyptian extraction, his best-known feats included
water spouting, smoke swallowing and nut and handkerchief swallowing
followed by disgorgement in an order chosen by the audience. The
mainstay of Ali's act was "water spouting". After swallowing large
amounts of water, 60 to 100 glasses at a time, he spouted it in a
continuous stream for a sustained period of time, sometimes approaching
one minute. Ali's most famous stunt, and the highlight of his act, was
drinking copious amounts of water followed by
kerosene, and then acting by turns as a human
flamethrower and
fire extinguisher as he expelled the two liquids onto a
theatrical prop. Ali had a dedicated following on the vaudeville circuit in the United States and performed for heads of state including Tsar
Nicholas II of Russia.
Ali's unusual gastric abilities led to rumors that the Rockefeller
Institute had offered a large sum of money to obtain his stomach
post-mortem. After he died in England his body was offered to Johns
Hopkins for study, though the offer was declined. (
more...)
Hadji Ali was a vaudeville performance artist famous for acts of controlled regurgitation.
Thought to be of Egyptian extraction, his best-known feats included
water spouting, smoke swallowing and nut and handkerchief swallowing
followed by disgorgement in an order chosen by the audience. The
mainstay of Ali's act was "water spouting". After swallowing large
amounts of water, 60 to 100 glasses at a time, he spouted it in a
continuous stream for a sustained period of time, sometimes approaching
one minute. Ali's most famous stunt, and the highlight of his act, was
drinking copious amounts of water followed by kerosene, and then acting by turns as a human flamethrower and fire extinguisher as he expelled the two liquids onto a theatrical prop. Ali had a dedicated following on the vaudeville circuit in the United States and performed for heads of state including Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.
Ali's unusual gastric abilities led to rumors that the Rockefeller
Institute had offered a large sum of money to obtain his stomach
post-mortem. After he died in England his body was offered to Johns
Hopkins for study, though the offer was declined. (more...)
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