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Biography:
Arthur Ford was a popular medium in the United States during the middle years of the
20th century. He became especially famous in 1929 after claiming to have received
the secret code from the spirit of Houdini, thus allowing him to transmit an authentic
message to the late magician's widow. Because of this, Ford became known popularly
as "Houdini's Medium." Despite his claims to the contrary, Houdini's widow never
verified that the message was genuine - but that didn't matter because the publicity
he received was priceless.
In 1967 he made headlines again by being the first person ever to conduct a seance on national television. When he died five years later at the age of seventy-five, it was discovered that he possessed amazingly extensive files on all of the people who had attended his various seances. Here, then, was the explanation for how he was able to know so much - it had nothing to do with spirits. Unsurprisingly, this did not cause any of his supporters to start doubting his powers - they insisted that he may have cheated sometimes but that he certainly didn't cheat all of the time.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
Skepticism & Critical Thinking
This is the main index for issues dealing with skepticism, critical thinking, logic and arguments. The first section is Critical Thinking itself - how to think about claims and arguments you hear, how to critique arguments, and how to formulate your own arguments such that they are more likely to be sound and valid. The second section is about Skeptical Investigations - the practical application of the critical thinking skills covered in the first section. Here you will find critiques of things like astrology, alternative medicine, parapsychology, the New Age and more.
