David Blaine, the early years of the Magic Man

"You don't get into magic. Magic gets into you." -David Blaine, 1998
On April 04, 1973, Patrice White gave birth to her first son, David Blaine. As a supportive single mother, she would raise him to the best of her ability, encouraging him to pursue his childhood dreams. Living on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, the two shared a close bond. The young boy would never meet his true biological father, only learning about him through stories and rumors. David's mother would be the most influential role model in his life
Four-year-old David Blaine experienced magic for the first time while waiting for a subway to arrive. Standing with his mother, he witnessed a stranger perform miracles for random passerby at the station. Eventually, the street magician let the curious little boy assist in an astonishing effect.
Threading a shoelace through a borrowed ring, the performer made young David Blaine close his little hand around them. There was no conceivable way the ring could escape the lace while he held everything tightly. The magician made a gesture over David's fist, and the boy's eyes widened with shock. Inside his own hand, he felt the ring melt through the shoelace, penetrating straight through its middle. He slowly opened his hand, one finger at a time, to discover the wedding band. off the string.
Inspired by this encounter, Blaine would strive to amaze people from that moment on. Given an old deck of Tarot Cards as a gift, he would study and practice basic sleight of hand at local libraries to become a riveting center of attention at family get-togethers and gatherings. His eccentricity and talent developed at an early age.
Old Man on the Street
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious." -Albert Einstein
Appearing rather lonely at times, Old Man Marlow would sit on his apartment stoop during the late hours of the day, and stare off into space. His blank stare never expressed a hint of emotion or kindness. He sat on the same step, always holding a lit cigarette, but he never appeared to smoke. Naturally, this strangeness would make children avoid his presence and adults ignore him. The sight of Old Man Marlow, however, sparked a curiosity in young David Blaine that he wanted to explore.
While walking home from school one day, David Blaine met the senile man upon his stoop, holding his cigarette and looking intently at the building across the street. Intrigued by Old Man Marlow's lack of emotion, David took out 52 "personal friends" in attempt to put a little magic into his mundane life. Eventually, the man's fixed stare directed itself toward a naïve boy playing with a deck of cards.
"Would you like to see a some magic?" asked David with a quiet smile on his face. Before Marlow could answer, he found himself choosing a card from the deck, the seven of spades. David took the old man's cigarette, and in plain view, pushed it straight through the card, burning a hole in the middle. The image was unforgettable; Old Man Marlow began to smile.
When the young boy pulled the cigarette out of the seven of spades however, the card visually healed itself - completely. Impossibly, the card was as good as new, and David gave it to the Old Man as a gift. When he couldn't find any flaws with the card, Marlow screamed and laughed in awe as he ran into his home with pure excitement. The imaginative Brooklyn boy succeeded in revealing a side of Old Man Marlow no one ever knew existed. This is what magic does.http://www.1streetmagic.com/david_blaine/david-blaine-early-history.htm