Talking about magic I came across this one last week. Robert Houdin hired by Napoleon III to perform a magic trick in Africa to convince the local tribes France magic was stronger than theirs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Eug%C3%A8ne_Robert-Houdin

https://www.amazon.com/Hiding-Elephant-Magicians-Impossible-...

There's a whole fascinating book about the evolution of this illusion. http://www.amazon.com/Hiding-Elephant-Magicians-Impossible-D...