Abracadental! A Tale of Dental Magic
Magicians might be tight-lipped about their methods, but when they are on stage they use elaborate, grandiose language while doing a lot of tricks where things appear or disappear out of thin air.
Have you ever seen a magician pull foot after foot of handkerchief from the mouth? Or produce a live, flying bird? Some magicians can even swallow a sword.
Magicians have a bunch of gadgets and aids to make people believe that what they do is real.
Some are staples (like a mouth coil, for example, which holds all those feet of paper in a compact package about the size an egg), but others...
not so much.
You have probably heard of a trick called the bullet catch, right? The one where a magician pretends to snag a fired bullet with his or her teeth? Well, I hate to spoil the magic, but things don't really go down that way.
At least, most of the time.
Let me tell you about a man named Ralf Bialla.
Known as "The Living Target," Ralf Bialla made a living as a magician whose most well-known trick was a version of the bullet catch.
What set his performance apart from the rest, though, was the fact that the bullet was actually fired from a gun.
So, how did he manage to survive the trick not just once but over an estimated 3,000 times? Well, the bullet Bialla used was fired through three panes of glass each time to help slow it down.
But that alone wouldn't be enough, so he used a bit of creative dentistry to help him out.
Bialla used dentures that hid a set of metal teeth, which were able to withstand the force of impact from the fired bullet.
He also used metal gloves to help shield his face from the bullet and any fragmented glass as well as channel the bullet into his mouth.
He was seriously injured nine times, but survived.
He died in 1975, though not in the way you might expect.
As a result of his technique, Bialla experienced circulation problems that made him black out.
One day, he took a walk in the mountains and, presumably while peering over a cliff, blacked out, and fell to his death.
For dentists and patients alike, people who enjoy magic might find Mr.
Bialla especially interesting.
Unfortunately, information about the daring performer is a little scant.
Apart from a German documentary called Wer schießt auf Ralf Bialla?-or, Who Shoots at Ralf Bialla?-not much is known.
Still, the ability to perform a trick like catching a bullet with metal teeth is a pretty incredible way to go down in the history of magic.
To any dentists reading this, you are probably aware of the conceivable damage a person could do to their jaw, their mouth, or their entire head in general by attempting such a feat.
So, if you mention Mr.
Bialla to patients, be sure to also include that famous disclaimer: do not try this at home.
To learn more about other magicians who attempted the bullet catch, click HERE.
Have you ever heard of Ralf Bialla? Or, have you had a magician as a patient? If so, have they shared any crazy mouth magic tricks with you? Let us know about any you've heard about (or seen in person) in the comments below!
Have you ever seen a magician pull foot after foot of handkerchief from the mouth? Or produce a live, flying bird? Some magicians can even swallow a sword.
Magicians have a bunch of gadgets and aids to make people believe that what they do is real.
Some are staples (like a mouth coil, for example, which holds all those feet of paper in a compact package about the size an egg), but others...
not so much.
You have probably heard of a trick called the bullet catch, right? The one where a magician pretends to snag a fired bullet with his or her teeth? Well, I hate to spoil the magic, but things don't really go down that way.
At least, most of the time.
Let me tell you about a man named Ralf Bialla.
Known as "The Living Target," Ralf Bialla made a living as a magician whose most well-known trick was a version of the bullet catch.
What set his performance apart from the rest, though, was the fact that the bullet was actually fired from a gun.
So, how did he manage to survive the trick not just once but over an estimated 3,000 times? Well, the bullet Bialla used was fired through three panes of glass each time to help slow it down.
But that alone wouldn't be enough, so he used a bit of creative dentistry to help him out.
Bialla used dentures that hid a set of metal teeth, which were able to withstand the force of impact from the fired bullet.
He also used metal gloves to help shield his face from the bullet and any fragmented glass as well as channel the bullet into his mouth.
He was seriously injured nine times, but survived.
He died in 1975, though not in the way you might expect.
As a result of his technique, Bialla experienced circulation problems that made him black out.
One day, he took a walk in the mountains and, presumably while peering over a cliff, blacked out, and fell to his death.
For dentists and patients alike, people who enjoy magic might find Mr.
Bialla especially interesting.
Unfortunately, information about the daring performer is a little scant.
Apart from a German documentary called Wer schießt auf Ralf Bialla?-or, Who Shoots at Ralf Bialla?-not much is known.
Still, the ability to perform a trick like catching a bullet with metal teeth is a pretty incredible way to go down in the history of magic.
To any dentists reading this, you are probably aware of the conceivable damage a person could do to their jaw, their mouth, or their entire head in general by attempting such a feat.
So, if you mention Mr.
Bialla to patients, be sure to also include that famous disclaimer: do not try this at home.
To learn more about other magicians who attempted the bullet catch, click HERE.
Have you ever heard of Ralf Bialla? Or, have you had a magician as a patient? If so, have they shared any crazy mouth magic tricks with you? Let us know about any you've heard about (or seen in person) in the comments below!
