Tickets- $20
*Tickets do not ship. Will call pick up only.
Join world-renowned sword swallower Dan Meyer and sideshow historian Marc Hartzman, co-authors of the new book, To The Hilt: A Sword Swallower’s History of Sword Swallowing, for a deep dive into one of the most dangerous performance arts in history. Blending historical storytelling, scientific exploration, and firsthand experience, this lecture unveils the origins, evolution, and astonishing feats of sword swallowing, from its ancient roots to its modern-day practitioners.
Discover how science and anatomy make the seemingly impossible possible, hear tales of legendary performers who risked it all for their craft, learn how to evolve a skill into an engaging and entertaining performance—with a live demonstration from Meyer. Whether you're fascinated by circus history, medical curiosities, or the limits of human potential, this presentation promises to inform, amaze, and challenge what you think you know about this death-defying art.
Copies of To The Hilt will be available for purchase, and the authors will be signing books after the lecture.
Dan Meyer is widely known as the world’s leading expert on sword swallowing and one of the world’s top performing sword swallowers. He is the president of the Sword Swallowers Association International, founder of World Sword Swallower’s Day, global TED speaker, and winner of the 2007 Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine at Harvard for award-winning medical research on sword swallowing, published in the British Medical Journal. Guinness World Records and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! have called Meyer the “world’s top sword swallower” for his 40 world records and death-defying stunts featured in Ripley’s cartoons, books, and museums. Meyer has performed on over 100 TV shows for over 800 million viewers, on 15 Got Talent shows, including the finals of America’s Got Talent and Sweden’s Got Talent (Talang), and live in 60 countries around the world. His viral TED Talk on sword swallowing, “Cutting through Fear,” is now the #1 most translated TED Talk in the world. He lives in Mesa, Arizona.
Marc Hartzman is, according to ABC News, “one of America’s leading connoisseurs of the bizarre.” George Noory from Coast to Coast AM said he’s “as bizarre as Robert Ripley.” Marc considers both high praise. Hartzman is the author of American Sideshow: An Encyclopedia of History’s Strangest and Most Wondrous Performers (Tarcher/Penguin) and nine other books, along with nearly 100 sideshow-related articles for AOL Weird News, Bizarre magazine, and Mental Floss. He has also discussed oddities on CNN, MSNBC, Ripley’s Radio, History Channel’s The UnXplained, the Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum, and dozens of podcasts. More on his love for the strange and unusual can be found on his site, WeirdHistorian.com. Outside of these projects, Hartzman earns a living as an award-winning advertising creative director. He lives in New Rochelle, New York.
*The Coney Island Museum is located on the second floor and is not wheelchair-accessible at this time
All ticket sales are non-refundable and WILL CALL only to be picked up night of performance, at our box office at 1208 Surf Avenue. TICKETS WILL NOT SHIP. There are no extra service fees for online purchase. Please check your junk or spam folder if you do not receive an email confirmation in your inbox.
Coney Island USA reserves the right to cancel a performance at any time. Advance ticket purchases will be refunded if such a situation arises.