Uri Geller’s name was very popular, especially in the 1970s. At the time, the philosophy of the so-called “new era” was beginning to take shape. The audience was very receptive to all kinds of supernatural phenomena. In fact, many were anxious, for this kind of content, because the paranormal was a trend.
If anyone took advantage of this effervescence was Uri Geller, one of the main collective frauds was associated with it. Thousands, if not millions, of people around the world believed in his powers and made him a successful millionaire; in fact, even today, there are followers in different parts of the world.
- “Sir.
- There’s a clear difference between having an open mind and having a hole in your head that your brain escapes through.
- “James Randi.
Sometimes it’s hard to explain how a single person can fool the crowd. Although Uri Geller is one of the most important criminals, he is not the only one who has managed to trigger this epidemic of unfounded beliefs. Many religious, political or ordinary leaders. Traders have deceived and continue to deceive countless people. And among its supporters, there are not only low-educated people, but almost all levels of education. What’s going on?
Uri Geller was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1946, according to his version, at age 4 he saw a powerful ray of light in the sky that threw an energy at him and knocked him unconscious, suggesting it was an encounter with extraterrestrial beings. After this episode, he entered his house and at lunchtime, broke a spoon in his hands.
His family moved to Cyprus when Uri was 11. He lived there until he was 17. He soon joined the Israeli army and became a paratrooper. He participated in the Six-Day War and was wounded in the battle. She then became a photographic model, a job she kept for a year.
He then began playing the role of magician in small nightclubs in Israel. Soon, his fame began to grow, with a number of legends around him. Unlike other magicians, Uri Geller claimed to have psychic powers. It has become particularly famous for its ability to bend spoons, even remotely, and to stop or accelerate clock hands.
Soon, Uri Geller became a celebrity. Hundreds of TV shows around the world wanted him as a guest. In each of them, he repeated his act of folding spoons and moving the hands of the clock with his “gifts”: telepathy. He asked the attendees to draw something and then faithfully reproduced the drawings, without having seen the original drawing.
People everywhere were fascinated by him. The situation has reached such an extent that, according to confidential documents published by the CIA, the U. S. intelligence agency asked Uri Geller to prove his powers, they locked him in an armored room and asked him to repeat drawings made thousands of miles away by some agents concluded that he had paranormal powers, so he began working for the CIA.
However, there was someone who did not believe it, he was also the magician and illusionist James Randi, and he was co-founder and member of the Skeptical Research Committee (CSICOP), an organization whose goal is to clarify the myths. pseudoscience and unmasking the scammers.
Randi has always said that the spoon trick is simple and can be done by even a child, however, what sets Geller apart from this child was the entire marketing apparatus that ended up creating a collective illusion.
In 1973, thanks to The Good Offices of James Randi, Uri Geller was invited to Johnny Carson’s television show, who challenged him to perform his act, under conditions different from the ones he used to do; first, they didn’t allow Geller to use the spoons. he was carrying, but they gave him more. Nor did they allow him to choose the ones they would draw to guess later.
In the end, Uri Geller was unable to show his supposed paranormal gifts, did not fold the spoons or guess the drawings, said there was too much pressure on him and that he had blocked his powers, then sued Randi, who also sued him and, after several years, won the case.
This was not the only time that Geller’s powers were known for their absence, on one occasion he said that he was going to arrest Big Ben and it is not like that, I said the same about Puerta del Sol clock and again nothing happened. Even so, many people in the world still believe him and, in fact, he continues to appear on television and repeat that he has great supernatural powers.