Wikipedia:Today's featured article/October 27, 2024
Hadji Ali (c. 1888–92 – 1937) was a vaudeville performance artist famous for acts of controlled regurgitation. Thought to be of Egyptian extraction, his 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 60 to 100 glasses of water at a time, he spouted it in a continuous stream sometimes for up to one minute. Ali's most famous stunt, and the highlight of his act, was drinking 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. After he died in England his body was offered to Johns Hopkins for study, though the offer was declined. (Full article...)