New Years is always time to look back as well as forward. After reviewing the events of the year, we identify the five most significant events in magic in 2006. Here they are, in order.

1. David Blaine’s “Drowning Alive” and “Gyro”
Despite the fact that he’s doing little magic these days, David Blaine continues to be the best known magician in the public’s mind. His two stunts in 2006: living in a fishbowl and trying to break the world-record for holding one’s breath, and, to a lesser extent, his promotional stunt on a gyro, received lots of coverage and kept the public thinking about magic and magicians.

2. Criss Angel’s Second Season of MINDFREAK
Week-in and week-out, Criss Angel is on TV performing baffling magic that’s successfully drawing a younger demographic. Sure, perhaps Angel works too hard turning each trick into a puzzle, but he almost has to. Every trick that he performs gets recorded, uploaded to the internet and reviewed and discussed in chat rooms. On MINDFREAK, his brand of magic is television magic that often makes the most of the camera’s limited view as well as editing. But Angel has an upcoming live show where he says that he can perform most of what he has done on MINDFREAK. I have confidence that Angel and his team will pull it off.