Blaine's original specialty was "street magic" -- close-up magic done for small groups on city streets. He became better known after starring in a series of TV specials in the late 1990s. (He also became known for his hipster style, casual clothes, and friendship with celebrities like actor Leonardo DiCaprio.) In 1999 Blaine was buried in a glass coffin for a week in a New York City stunt, and the next year he spent three days encased in a block of ice in Times Square. In May of 2002 he attempted his next stunt, standing atop a 90-foot pillar in New York's Bryant Park for two days before falling into a cushion of cardboard boxes. In September 2003 he was suspended in a glass box near the Thames River in London for 44 days. In May of 2006 he entered a water-filled glass sphere outside New York's Lincoln Center to spend seven days underwater in a stunt he called "Drowned Alive."