Houdini was such a popular magician because he was unique. The text says “No one before or since had so completely defined the art of escape as Harry Houdini, magician, actor, and stage personality.” That shows that Houdini is unique because if no one defined the art of escape like Houdini, he was one of a kind and different. Since Houdini is unique and no one is like him there would be no one else to be better than him and no one else