Hadji Ali performed for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Judy Garland proclaimed him her favorite vaudeville performed. More recently, magician David Blaine cited him as his favorite magician and a personal inspiration. Hadji Ali’s “talent” was impressive and decidedly unusual.
Born in Egypt somewhere between 1888 and 1892, young Hadji developed an affinity for swimming in the Nile River. He discovered that he could swallow large amounts of water and then spit it out like a spouting whale. As he grew older, he refined his ability. He was able to control intake, bodily placement and distribution and, most importantly, regurgitation.
He began to exhibit his talent at fairs, music halls and sideshows. In his act, Hadji would swallow huge amounts of water and top it off with a generous amount of kerosene. He’d spew the fuel, set it alight and then act as a human fire extinguisher and douse the flame to the delight and astonishment of audiences. Another feat Hadji performed was to swallow several dozen hazelnuts followed by a handful of almonds, then, regurgitate the nuts in the exact order as determined by the audience’s request. Hadji would also swallow several different colored handkerchiefs and regurgitate them in a randomly-determined order. He’d cap off a performance by placing eight lit cigarettes in his mouth and spew smoke like a volcano for well over a minute.
Hadji’s act was popular among most audiences. Every so often, a dinner show was cut short when several audience members experienced nausea from viewing Hadji’s exploits while eating.
Hadji Ali’s passed away in 1937 after a bout of bronchitis. Prior to his death, posters advertising his live appearances boasted that $50,000 was offered by the Rockefeller Medical Institute for Hadji’s stomach for examination. Upon his death, The Rockefeller Institute said that no such monetary offer had ever been made… although they would be interested in conducting such an examination. Hadji’s daughter solicited her father’s remains to surgeons at Johns Hopkins University. Her offer was declined.
Hadji Ali was interred at Kensico Cemetery in New York.