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To view past articles or propose a new feature article for the main page, visit the [[MagicPedia_talk:Today%27s_featured_article|discussion page]].
Previous featured articles are located in [[:Category:Featured Article]]


Proposed candidates are listed in [[:Category:Featured Article Candidate]]
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The [[Genii-Orben Poll]] was conducted in 1949 and reported in the [[Genii 1950 February| February, 1950 issue of Genii magazine]]. The article complained about how boring magic had become. "The largest single complaint about magic was its unoriginality." Amateur, semi-professional and professional magicians listed their most used tricks in their repertoire.
[[File: JNHilliard.png|right|thumb|200px|[[ John Northern Hilliard]]]]


The list consists of 85 tricks, the most popular first, with the total votes following the name of the trick. The ones with over 100 votes included:
'''John Northern Hilliard''' (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man  and clever amateur magician.
* [[Linking Rings]] (287)
* [[Cut and Restored Rope]] (246)
* [[Die Box]] (141)
* [[Billiard Balls]] (137)
* [[Paper Tear]] (123)
* [[Twentieth Century Silks]] (111)
* [[Vanishing Cane]] (107)
* [[Egg Bag]] (100)


[[Genii-Orben Poll|Read more about The Orben-Genii Poll...]]
== Biography ==
Hilliard was dramatic critic with The Chicago Herald and later on the staff of The Rochester (N. Y.) Post Express. After moving to New York, he met [[Howard Thurston]] while a reporter on The New York World and became interested in magic. John was credited with securing the master magician with his first engagement on the stage. Several years later Thurston induced Hilliard to give up his newspaper work and become his personal representative.
 
With the urging of [[Floyd G. Thayer]], John starting writing for [[Thayer's Magical Bulletin]] magazine. In 1925, Hilliard became an advance man for The Thurston show. During this time he accumulated notes on what he was learning about magic. In 1932, Carl Waring Jones urged him to turn his notes into a book, offering to publish it. But Hilliard suddenly died of a heart attack in 1935 while in a hotel room in Indianapolis.
 
[[John Northern Hilliard|Read more about John Northern Hilliard…]]

Latest revision as of 10:23, 20 February 2026

Previous featured articles are located in Category:Featured Article

Proposed candidates are listed in Category:Featured Article Candidate

John Northern Hilliard (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man and clever amateur magician.

Biography

Hilliard was dramatic critic with The Chicago Herald and later on the staff of The Rochester (N. Y.) Post Express. After moving to New York, he met Howard Thurston while a reporter on The New York World and became interested in magic. John was credited with securing the master magician with his first engagement on the stage. Several years later Thurston induced Hilliard to give up his newspaper work and become his personal representative.

With the urging of Floyd G. Thayer, John starting writing for Thayer's Magical Bulletin magazine. In 1925, Hilliard became an advance man for The Thurston show. During this time he accumulated notes on what he was learning about magic. In 1932, Carl Waring Jones urged him to turn his notes into a book, offering to publish it. But Hilliard suddenly died of a heart attack in 1935 while in a hotel room in Indianapolis.

Read more about John Northern Hilliard…