REVELATIONS IN SCIENCE: The Spoon Bender and the Million-Dollar Reward
Art Design: huxley.media via Photoshop inspired by René Magritte’s painting «Portrait of Stephi Langui», 1961
History remembers individuals who demonstrated what seemed to be miracles. These weren’t necessarily gods or prophets — we’ll politely sidestep that topic for political correctness. But what about figures like Count Saint-Germain, who supposedly corrected diamond defects and enlarged pearls, or Count Cagliostro, who claimed to possess the secrets of the philosopher’s stone and eternal youth? How does science explain their feats?
It doesn’t — and it doesn’t seem particularly troubled by this either. Science simply asks, with polite curiosity, for an opportunity to verify whether such acts are merely clever deceptions that any ordinary illusionist could replicate without spouting nonsense about miracles.
Cagliostro and Saint-Germain performed their marvels before kings, dukes, counts, and marquises — people too preoccupied to concern themselves with scientific scrutiny. Could they have been just as convincing to professors, doctors, associate professors, and academicians?
As it turns out, they could. The acts of the world-renowned Israeli wonder-worker Uri Geller (born 1946) puzzled even seasoned scientists. However, as it became clear, the mystery wasn’t so extraordinary after all — understanding the miracles of Uri Geller required expertise from a somewhat different profession…
HOW WIZARDS ARE MADE
Miracles began happening to Uri Geller from a very young age. At three years old, he claimed a mysterious orb descended from the sky in an empty park, emitting high-pitched sounds and bright light that knocked little Uri to the ground. (What kind of parents leave a toddler alone in a park? But that’s another question…)
In school, he reportedly learned to make the hands of his wristwatch spin wildly using only the power of his mind. Around the same time, while dining at a restaurant, Uri supposedly caused his neighbors’ forks and spoons to bend spontaneously. At six, he mastered the art of reading his mother’s thoughts and could immediately tell her how much she had lost at cards with the neighbors.
By the age of 13, Uri claimed to have shattered his bicycle into tiny pieces without touching it — using nothing but mental energy. Now, tell me, aren’t those miracles? See, you agree.
But how do we know about these extraordinary events? Well, Uri Geller told us himself. He wouldn’t lie about something like that…would he?
TRICKS WERE JUST THE BEGINNING…
Reports say Uri Geller participated in the Six-Day War, was injured, and even entered officer school before being expelled for falling asleep on duty. However, these events didn’t shape his career — he became a magician and quickly gained significant fame, not only for his clever tricks but also for bold claims, such as foreseeing disasters only he could prevent (so why didn’t he?).
Perhaps Uri did avert global catastrophes — after all, none occurred. As for ordinary disasters, he never promised to prevent those. But the press loves a good story, and in 1970, when asked by journalists about the future of the world, Golda Meir said, «I am not a prophet. Ask Uri Geller about it.» So, was he a prophet too? Not a bad start.
NO MIRACLES WITHOUT PR
Uri Geller’s career received a significant boost from Andrija Puharich, a renowned paranormal researcher. Puharich even hypnotized Geller to uncover the source of his abilities. According to Puharich, during the session, he kept hearing a «metallic and otherworldly» voice saying, «He is chosen and possesses great power». At least, that’s what Puharich claimed — maybe you’ll believe him?
You might also believe that he and Geller «communicated with alien supercomputers» and that during one such conversation, Geller teleported his cat to another room. That part I find believable — when I’m angry with my cat Sonya, she too prefers to teleport to another room.
Puharich organized numerous performances for Geller and introduced him to scientists who studied his abilities. Even the legendary rocket scientist Wernher von Braun was impressed when Geller took his broken calculator — its battery had died — and miraculously got it working again. Skeptics might say the battery contact was loose and simply reconnected during handling, but skeptics always have an explanation…
Geller even underwent testing at Stanford University, where researchers confirmed they couldn’t explain how he could guess the upward-facing number on a die sealed in a metal box. However, he wasn’t as lucky with Nobel laureate Richard Feynman.
Feynman recalled, «His mind-reading didn’t work, probably because nobody can read my thoughts at all». Geller also failed to bend a key by rubbing it, even under running water. Most likely because it was Feynman’s son’s key, not one Geller had brought himself. In short, the trick didn’t land.
LET THE WORLD BE AMAZED
Some of Uri Geller’s astonishing feats were witnessed by large audiences. For instance, in Munich in 1972, he was asked to perform something spectacular, and he announced he would stop a cable car. He did — when a fuse unexpectedly blew. But that wasn’t all. Geller later claimed he would stop London’s iconic Big Ben. And, sure enough, the famous clock stopped!
However, it’s worth noting two things: first, no one specifically asked him to perform these exact feats — he proposed them himself, which could mean he had time to prepare something; second, he never repeated them (perhaps to avoid closer scrutiny).
That said, David Copperfield once made the Great Wall of China «disappear», but it wasn’t nearly as intriguing. Copperfield never denied that it was a trick, an illusion. Geller, on the other hand, claimed his acts were miracles, which is far harder — and more fascinating (at least according to him — are you still skeptical?). This is a common trait of such wonders: the miracle worker proposes the act and can never replicate it. A sure sign to watch closely.
If Geller had such extraordinary abilities, intelligence agencies would naturally take an interest — they could certainly use them. In 1973, he participated in the CIA’s Stargate program, which explored the potential application of paranormal abilities.
The program was shut down without yielding any meaningful results. However, the final report mentioned Geller, stating there was some evidence he possessed such abilities. Exactly what abilities were not specified — the program was classified.
Geller himself wasn’t fond of secrecy and happily recounted how he was sent to Mexico to stand across from the Soviet embassy and use the power of his mind to convince employees to erase disks containing sensitive data. Whether it worked or not? You’d have to ask the embassy staff.
Even more incredible was his claim of influencing a critical arms control treaty between the USSR and the USA. According to Geller, he convinced Soviet diplomat Yuli Vorontsov to sign the agreement — and Vorontsov complied as if under a spell. Without Geller, it supposedly wouldn’t have happened. At least, that’s Geller’s version of events.
A documentary about Geller alleges that he worked not only for the CIA but also for Mossad. Of course, neither agency is likely to confirm or deny this. You’ll just have to take his word for it.
THE FAILURE OF THE MAIN TRICK
Soon, one trick became the signature performance of Uri Geller, one he showcased almost every time — bending spoons and forks. A light touch with his finger, and the spoon would bend in a most unnatural way! Much later, it was remembered that British magician David Berglas had demonstrated this trick long before Geller, but that’s a completely different matter — Berglas was performing tricks while Geller was creating miracles. Can’t you see the difference?
Geller bent an incredible number of spoons, and according to him, some of them belonged to Winston Churchill, John Lennon, John F. Kennedy, the Spice Girls, and other superstars. He even adorned his Cadillac with the spoons he bent and donated it to a museum in London — if you don’t believe it, see for yourself! Geller’s spoons piqued the interest of everyone, and the immensely popular The Johnny Carson Show invited him to perform live on air — surely, showing his miracles to millions of viewers would make everyone believe!
However, the expected triumph turned into a complete fiasco. Geller failed to bend a single spoon, spent 22 minutes babbling nonsense on camera, and left in disgrace. However, this did not affect his popularity on television — television, you know, is television… But some people figured it out, and it was hard not to.
IT TAKES A MAGICIAN TO CATCH ANOTHER MAGICIAN
So, what went wrong for Uri Geller? The backstage involvement of renowned illusionist and skeptic James Randi played a key role. Randi made a simple yet effective move — he provided ordinary spoons from a nearby store for Geller to use on the show rather than allowing him to bring his own prepared props.
As a seasoned magician himself, Randi was familiar with the classic spoon-bending trick popularized by David Berglas and knew how to replicate it. The trick often relies on «memory alloys» — special metals that can return to their original shape after being lightly pressed in the right spot. It’s an entertaining illusion, but calling it a miracle might be a bit over the top. Still, plenty of people are willing to believe almost anything — and unfortunately, there are many of them.
Randi went further, publishing a book titled The Truth About Uri Geller, in which he debunked many of Geller’s claims and tricks. Offended, Geller sued Randi for libel, demanding $15 million in damages. The court did rule on damages — but ordered Geller to pay Randi $120,000 after finding that Geller himself had made numerous false and defamatory statements about Randi. To his credit, Geller appears not to have pursued further lawsuits against Randi, suggesting a degree of prudence.
However, Geller did file a lawsuit against the Japanese Pokémon character Kadabra. His objections? First, the character holds a spoon; second, the design on its belly resembles SS runes, which Geller, as a Jew, found particularly offensive; and third, Geller claimed he had patented the word «abracadabra», meaning the name Kadabra violated his copyright.
At first, this seemed absurd — how could someone patent a word that dates back to ancient Sumer? But then I read about an Australian man who patented the wheel and even received an official certificate for it, and suddenly, it didn’t seem so surprising anymore.
THE MONEY IS WAITING
James Randi fully embraced his role as a debunker, targeting not only Uri Geller but also others who boasted of their supernatural abilities. And he did so in a particularly intriguing way — by establishing a $1 million prize. This prize would go to anyone who could demonstrate paranormal abilities under scientifically controlled conditions overseen by a panel of experts.
It’s a substantial sum — just step up and claim it! But no one has, and only a few have even tried. Perhaps someone reading this possesses such abilities? The money is still waiting, as no one has ever claimed the prize. Reach out to the James Randi Educational Foundation — it continues to operate despite Randi’s passing, and the offer remains valid. If you succeed, your fame will eclipse even that of Uri Geller!
Randi also created another award — for the most egregious promotion of pseudoscience. It’s called the Pigasus Award, complete with a fitting logo — a winged pig, not a winged horse. Many proponents of pseudoscience have received this dubious honor, and in 2006, Uri Geller himself was among the recipients. The prize for the winners is substantial but delivered telepathically — if you didn’t receive it, well, that just proves you lack paranormal abilities.
What about Uri Geller? He’s doing just fine: living comfortably in England, unbothered by criticism. He recently bought his own island — Lamb, near the Scottish coast — and offers its citizenship to anyone for just one pound sterling, which he then donates to charity.
Geller still has numerous admirers who trust him and believe in his miraculous abilities — each fan finding their own unique source of wonder. He’s thriving, and knowing this helps us understand the world we live in.
And knowing about James Randi is equally important — to remember that even miracle workers can be held accountable.
LITERATURE
- J. Randi. Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions
- Uri Geller. My Story
