A DATE WITH DESTINY

By TOM DAUGHERTY

EFFECT

In brief, using dates as the test vehicle, you

conduct a telepathy experiment involving four members of the
audience, two of whom attempt to read your mind and fail, one
whose mind you succeed in reading, and one who holds and
safeguards the incontestable proof that you do so.
PERFORMANCE
To conduct this "experiment" your only requirements are a pocket note pad and pen, a blackboard and chalk,
and a little nerve.
Using my name in place of yours to illustrate,
your patter goes something like this:
"We're going to try a little experiment in mind
reading, and give several of you a chance to see if you can
do it. Since numbers are often used in tests of this kind, I
thought we might use dates, that is days of the year, for our
test vehicle. If we include leap year, that gives us three
hundred, sixty-six days from which to choose, and trying to
read one thought out of three hundred, sixty-six possibilities should be a pretty good test, don't you think?
"Could I have a volunteer over in this section?
Anybody? Would you help us out? Just stand up right here.
Thank you. And would you tell us your name, please? Ann
Smith? Hi, Ann. I'm Tom Daugherty. We haven't met before,
have we?
"Okay, Ann, here's what we're going to do: I'm
going to write some day of the year, like July 4; or December
25, but not necessarily that easy, and you're going to try to
read my mind. Okay?"
Here you remove the note pad from your pocket,
pause to think of a "test date", and then write it on the pad.
"Okay, I have one. I'm going to tear this off and
hold it up so everybody can see it while you try to read my
mind." Tearing off the page, you hold it high above your
head as you return the note pad to your pocket and continue;
"Now, Ann, I know this isn't easy, but try not to
be nervous. Just relax and try to clear your mind, and the
very first date that comes to you, say out loud so everyone

can hear you.

"Nothing yet? Well, sometimes this happens.
Let's try this: Just call out any date at random. You might
surprise yourself.
"September 17? Well, Ann, that's not quite it, but
again, this isn't easy to do, so please don't feel embarrassed. Here, I'll show you what I wrote."
You show the slip of paper to Ann and also to several other spectators in her vicinity. "I'll let several of
you see this, so there can be no doubt about what I wrote.
"Ann, I want to thank you for being a good sport
and trying this, and I would like you to do one other thing
for me, okay? Can you remember this date (indicating the
written date), and we'll come back to it later.
"Do you have it? Okay, Ann, thanks again for helping. Now you can sit down and relax."
You place the slip of paper in your pocket and move
to the other side of the audience.
"Okay, let's try someone over in this section.
Perhaps we can recruit a gentleman volunteer this time. How
about you? Just stand up right here and tell us your name.
Bob Jones? Hi, Bob. I'm Tom Daugherty. We haven't met before
either, have we?"
Now you repeat the same scenario as with Ann, writing down a date, holding the slip up high in full view, and
inviting Bob to try to capture your thought. Bob also misses,
and you show your written date to him and several adjacent
spectators, asking him to remember it for later reference.
Placing the slip in your pocket, you approach the middle section of the audience and continue:
"Ann and Bob were such good sports that maybe I
should be the guinea pig this time. Who would like to think
of a date and let me try to read your mind? Okay, just stand
up right where you are and tell us your name. Jim Brown? Hi,
Jim. I'm Tom Daugherty. Jim, have you and I met before?
"Okay, Jim, would you like to write your date down,
or would you prefer just to keep it in your mind? That's
fine. You don't have to write it down. Now, Jim, hold your
thought for just a minute while I walk back up to the front.

Okay, Jim, here's what I want you to do: Try to

-3-

pick a date that no one would be likely to guess. In other

words, don't pick a holiday, or the first or last of a month,
but try to think of some totally insignificant date that nobody else would think of. I want you to make this as hard for
me as you can. Okay? Just take your time, and once you've
made up your mind, let me know you're thinking of a date.
"You have one? All right, let me see if I can get
it." After concentrating a few seconds, you write something
down, tear off the slip of paper, place the note pad in your
pocket and continue:
"I think I have it." You fold the slip of paper to
hide what you've written and hand it to a nearby spectator.
"Would you hold this for me, please? And what is your name?
Sue Moore? Okay, Sue, your job is to make sure I don't cheat.
Just keep that slip of paperdon't look at it yetjust hold
it.
"And, Jim, you can be seated again while we finish.
Just keep thinking of that date.
"All right, we're ready to see how I did. Jim has a
date in his mind, and I've already written my impression down,
which Sue is holding so I can't change it.
"Okay, Jim, now that I'm committed on paper and
can't change anything, tell us loud and clear: What date do
you have in your mind? January 24? Jim, believe it or not, I
got it right on the button. How many of you believe me?" It's
important that you ask this question, as it compels the
audience to appreciate more fully the magnitude of your claim.
You won't see one hand go up at this stage.
Now you go to the blackboard and write Jim's date,
January 24, near the top. "Here's the one date that Jim chose
to think of, out of three hundred, sixty-six possible choices.
"And now that I'm totally committed, I can also let
you see the two dates that Ann and Bob still have in their
minds. Let me be sure I have these right." So saying, you
remove the two slips of paper from your pocket and copy Ann's
and Bob's dates on the blackboard, one below the other, and
both under Jim's.
"Let's make sure I have these right. Jim, is your
date written correctly? Ann, is your date written correctly?
And, Bob, is your date written correctly?" All are verified
as correct.
"Now we'll write each of the dates as a number.

Let's see, January 24 would be 0124;. December 8 would be 1208.

And July 29 would be 0729. Do I have all these right?"
As you name each date, you write an equal sign to
its right, followed by its four-digit representation. On completion, the dates and numbers are aligned in a vertical column, and you draw a line under them, the finished display looking like this:
January 24

= 0124

December 8 = 1208
July 29

= 0729

Okay,

let's

total the numbers

and see what we
get."

You

the

add

numbers

vocally,
engaging

in

dialogue

with

the

audience

as

they

check

your

arithmetic,

and

write

the

total

below

the

line.

"Does

everyone

agree that 2,061

is

the

correct

total?"

They

agree.

"And does everyone also agree that if Jim had

thought of any other day in January, the total would have been
different? In fact, if he'd thought of, say, February 24 instead of January 24, just that one change would have Increased
the total by 100, or if he'd thought of December 24th, the total
would have increased by more than 1,000 Does everyone see
that?" As you're leading the audience through this analysis,
allow them ample time to follow each observation, and keep it
simple.
"In other words, does everyone agree that if Jim had
thought of any one of the other three hundred, sixty-five dates
he could have chosen, the total would not have been 2,061, but
some other number?" They agree.
"And since Jim didn't tell anyone what he was thinking, in fact didn't even write it down, does everyone agree
there was absolutely no way whatever to know the total would be
exactly 2,06l until' after Jim let us know what he was thinking?"
They agree.
"Now, do all of you remember that before Jim told us
what he was thinking, I gave Sue a slip of paper to keep in her
possession, which she is still holding?" They remember.
"All right. Now, Sue, for the first time, unfold
the paper, look at what's written on it, and show it to the
folks sitting there with you."
"Now, Sue, I'd like you to read loud and clear, so
everyone can hear, exactly what's written on the paper.

Sue reads, "2,061."

"Thank you, Sue. And thanks to you, Ann, and you,
Bob, and you, Jim, for helping in this experiment. Thank you
very much."
The method? Before I explain, let me hasten to tell
you how it's not done: There are no confederates. Ann, Bob,
Jim and Sue are as hopelessly baffled as the rest of the audience.
But first, the credits: The Linking Ring of October, 1952, featured a parade of eighteen effects from the creative mind of Stewart James, one being his "New Angle 16 Digit
Test , which introduced me to the basic principle. Mr. James
credited the principle to Professor Hoffman's Modern Magic.
page 87, and further cited the refinements of Henry Hardin,
Theodore Annemann and Henry Fetsch, a virtual "think tank" of
some of Magic's best minds.
The principle is this:
If several people (in our case, two) be shown the
same item separately, but under the pretense of being shown
different items in turn, and then later they be collectively
shown a number of different items, one being that which was
shown to each of them separately, each of them will assume the
other items to be those which were shown to the other people.
In A DATE WITH DESTINY, both Ann and Bob are shown
the same date, but separately, under the pretense of being
shown different dates, and each is recruited from a different
section of the audience so they can't communicate and discover
the chicanery perpetrated on both themselves and the audience
at large.
Their "double date", secretly serving double duty,
together with Jim's date account for only two of the three
dates displayed on the blackboard, enabling you to provide a
third date which brings the total to that given Sue for safekeeping to make sure you don't cheat!
When Ann, Bob and Jim are asked in turn if their respective dates are recorded on the blackboard correctly, each
replies in the affirmative, Ann assuming the date you've provided to be Bob's, Bob assuming your date to be Ann's, and everyone else assuming that of the two dates other than Jim's, one
was shown to Ann and the other to Bob.
A further enhancement of the deceptionnot that
it's really needed -- is the removal of the two slips of paper
from your pocket on the pretense of making sure you copy Ann's

-6-

and Bob's "dates" (supposedly different) on the blackboard cor

rectly. Additionally, this ploy affords you the few seconds
needed to calculate the date you provide to produce the requir
ed total.
The calculation is trivial, as is the preparation
which makes it so. Both are made simple by the employment of a
key number, specifically 1332. To illustrate how this key number cornea into play, I'll break the explanation into two parts:
PART ONE:

numbers:

PREPARATION

Before your performance you will predetermine two

(1) The "double date" (the date that serves double

duty, in that you will show it to both Ann and Bob).
This can be any arbitrary date you care to use. It
can vary from performance to performance, or you might use the
same date each time, one you'll easily remember, such as your
date of birth, an anniversary, etc. In our present example
we're using July 29 (= 0729).
(2) The total (the number you'll give to Sue before
Jim announces his chosen date).
To determine beforehand the total you'll give to
Sue, you simply add your selected double date to the key number
1332. In our example 0729 plus 1332 = 2061.
PART TWO:

PRESENTATION

(1) Show the double date to Ann, and then move to a

different section of the audience, where you show the same date
to Bob. (You make no mention that the test dates differ. It's
the blackboard display, not your patter, that will convey this.)
(2) Once Jim has indicated he has a date in mind,
write the predetermined total; fold the slip of paper and give
it to Sue. In our example this is 2061.
(3) Once Jim reveals his chosen date, write it near
the top of the blackboard, and then remove the two slips of pa
per from your pocket (both with the double date written on
them) as though to verify Ann's and Bob's supposedly different
dates.
During this pretended verification you have ample

-7-

time to calculate "your date", the date you write directly beneath Jim's. To determine this date, simply subtract Jim's
date from the key number 1332, and write the result on the
blackboard with the month expressed in word form, that is,
spelled out. In our example 1332 0124 = 1208 = December 8.
Even though the calculation is simple arithmetic, I
find it easier to do in my head by using a couple of tricks:
First, I think of it as two separate problems, the
subtraction for the day portion (the two rightmost digits),
followed by the subtraction for the month portion (the two
leftmost digits).
Second, in determining the day portion, I find it
easier to subtract from 30 and then add 2, than to subtract
from 32 directly.
(1;) The third date you write on the blackboard is
the double date.
Now that we have the basic mechanics behind us, let's
take a second look at the blackboard display to see how it all
hangs together:
January 24

= 0124

(Jim's date.)

December 8 = 1208

(Your date: 1332 - 0124. = 1208.)

July 29

(Double date: Predetermined.)

= 0729
2061

(Total: Predetermined.)

Should you have occasion to give repeat performances

over a brief time interval, thus needing a new double date and
total for each performance, here's a simple way to avoid a
needless memory burden:
Trim the bottom half inch off the top three pages of
your note pad, and at the bottom of the first full page write
the numbers you'll use for your next performance. In our example you would have written "0729/2061", the note pad doing the
remembering for you.
In this manner the critical numbers are staring you
in the face, to be used as needed, and you're relieved of any
concern other than maximizing the effectiveness of your presentation. As you're performing, you write on the top short pages,
tearing them off as they're used, and no one's the wiser since
only you see the front of the note pad.

-8-

Before your next performance you select a new double

date, add it to 1332 to get your new total, and prepare your
note pad as described.
POSTSCRIPT
In a perfect world the preceding explanation would
suffice, but in the real world departures from the "standard
presentation" can occur, though highly unlikely. We'll take a
look at these and see how each can be brought to a successful
conclusion.
Before we do, however, it's imperative that you fully, understand the standard presentation. Otherwise, discussion
of the possible departures will only confuse you. If any facet
of the basic effect is less than clear at this point, stop now
and review it before proceeding.
Okay, let's delve a little deeper. In particular,
we'll examine five possible departures from the standard presentation and how I suggest they be handled:
First departure: Ann guesses the double date.
Second departure: Bob guesses the double date.
Third departure: Jim just happens to select the
double date.
Fourth departure: Your date and the double date
just happen to be the same.
Before
proceeding, I want to point out that it's mathematically
impossible for Jim's date and your date to be identical.
Consequently, all three dates can't be the same unless
contrived to be, as I'll explain in discussing the third
possible departure.
All right. Here we go:
FIRST DEPARTURE: ANN GUESSES THE DOUBLE DATE.
In our example, if Ann were to guess July 29, you
could milk this for all it's worth, show the slip of paper to
verify her success, and conclude. Supposedly your very first

-9-

subject your only subject, actuallysucceeded in reading

your mind' Not a bad effect, I think you'll agree.
Personally, however, I wouldn't conclude at
point, but instead would comment on Ann's extraordinary
sensory powers and suggest a second test. I would then
new double date, add it to 1332 to get a new total, jot
down "to remember for me", and proceed with the standard
from there.

this
extraselect a
both
effect

If Ann should hit againWhat are the odds? I

would conclude a killer effect! (And after my performance I
would have to ask her privately if I could be her booking agent.)
SECOND DEPARTURE:

BOB GUESSES THE DOUBLE DATE.

Assuming Ann misses but Bob hits, you could conclude

in much the same manner, making a big to-do about his success,
etc. Still a strong effect'
But as before, I would stay with Bob, using a new
double date and total for a second test, and then- proceed with
the standard effect, either returning to Ann, or probably better, recruiting a new spectator from a different section of the
audience.
Should Ann or the new spectator guess the second
double date, yes, I would conclude I "Two out of three ain't
bad"especially when it's real!
THIRD DEPARTURE:

JIM JUST HAPPENS TO SELECT THE DOUBLE DATE.

My ending for this event requires an additional

preparation. Though simple, I reserved its description until now
to avoid confusion.
It's simply a duplicate of Sue's slip of paper,
folded the same way/but bearing the double date, July 29, instead of 2061. This would be in my pocket, with the note pad at
the outset.
I would ask Ann and Bob to announce their dates in
turn while casually retrieving the folded slip from Sue and
leaving it in my pocket as I withdrew the duplicate slip along
with the two "test slips", also bearing the double date. The
misdirection for going to my pocket would be the retrieval of
the test slips to verify my claim that I used the "double concentration" of Ann and Bob on the same date to compel Jim to
think of it as well! A strong effectand no blackboard needed!

- 10 -

FOURTH Departure: YOUR DATE AND THE DOUBLE DATE JUST HAPPEN TO
BE THE SAME.
In our example Jim's date is January 24. If, however, he just happened to select June 3 instead, the date you
provide would just happen to match the double date, (1332 -0603
= 0729), and the blackboard display would be:
June 3 = 0603

(Jim13 date.)

July 29 = 0729

(Your date: 1332 - 0603 = 0729.)

July 29 = 0729

(Double date:

2061

(Total:

Predetermined.)

Predetermined.)

Here again I would ask Ann and Bob to announce their

respective dates aloud, verifying I showed each of then the same
date, July 29, and then I'd conclude in the standard manner,
displaying their dates as shown above as they announced them. In
this case I'd leave the two test slips in my pocket, as there
would be no reason to remove them (unless asked). To say the
obvious, this would be a very strong effect]
(Having Ann and Bob announce their dates in either
the third or fourth departure contradicts nothing in the "testing interval" of the standard presentation. During this interval, you'll recall, no mention is made that the test dates differ. It's the subsequent blackboard display, not the patter,
that makes everyone assume they differ, "verified" by Ann's and
Bob's affirmative responses to your queries.)
FIFTH DEPARTURE: JIM'S DATE GENERATES AN IMPOSSIBILITY FOR YOUR
DATE.
Of Jim's three hundred, sixty-six possible choices,
there are six dates which would generate an impossibility for
your date: February 1 (0201), April 1 (0401), July 1 (0701),
September 1 (0901), November 1 (1101) and November 2 (1102).
Consider, for example, April 1: If Jim were to
choose this date, your date would be 1332 - 0401 = 0931 = September 31. Since there's no such date as September 31, Jim's
choice of April 1 would generate an impossibility for your date.
Similarly, if Jim were to select one of the other five problem
dates, an impossibility would result for your date.
On the face of it, this appears to be a disastrous
situation, but let's look further:

-11 (First, however, let me interject that if Jim's selection were November 3, your date would be February 29 (1332 1103 = 0229 = February 29), but this is acceptable since the introductory patter, you'll recall, makes allowance for leap year.)
Okay. The six problem dates, out of three hundred,
sixty-six available choices, represent less than 2% of the selection range, and therefore the likelihood for their avoidance exceeds 98% from the standpoint of pure chance. But the odds are
even better, as the patter discourages their selection:
You'll recall that before Jim's selection of a date,
the following is included in his instructions: "Try to pick a
date that no one would be likely to guess. In other words, don't
pick a holiday, or the first or last of a month, but try to think
of some totally insignificant date that nobody else would think
of. I want you to make this as hard for me as you can." While
this doesn't guarantee he won't select one of the six problem
dates, it further diminishes the likelihood of his doing so.
But what if he would name one of the six?
In this unlikely event I would simply announce that I
missed his thought, and start over! Retrieving the slip of paper
from Sue, I'd recruit a new subject and "try again" (new slip of
paper, but same total of course).
Since this is "an experiment", an initial miss would
not only be allowed, but also would inject an element of suspense
before the ultimately successful conclusion (reminiscent of
Houdini's designed delays before escaping from various perils). A
"disaster" transformed to a triumph!
Even though the chance of a problem date coming into
play is less than 2%, here's a memory aid just in case: Recalling
that each is the first day of a month, (the first two days in the
case of November), the months themselves are easily remembered via
a simple rhyme: "Two, four, seven. Nine, eleven." (That is:
February, April, July. September, November.)
So much for the five departures. But now that we've
waded through them, let's put them in proper perspective:
The chance of any of the first four occurring is only
one in three hundred, sixty-six, and of the fifth occurring, only
six in three hundred, sixty-six (actually less, thanks to the
patter). In other words, the probability is extremely high that
you'll never encounter a departure from the standard effect in
actual performance, though prudence dictates you should be aware
of the possibilities in order not to be caught off guard.
The bottom line: You needn't be preoccupied with the

- 12 -

departures. The key to performing A DATE WITH DESTINY effectively is to become so comfortable with the standard presentation
that any departure would require no more on your part than a littie ad-libbing to conclude successfully.
AN ALTERNATE PRESENTATION

A DATE WITH IESTINY is an ideal vehicle for a prediction or "forced thought" effect:
You write the total for Sue to hold before the tests
are begun, and "exert your mental influence" on Jimt compelling
him to think of the one date that will make the total on the
blackboard match your prediction!
I'll leave the patter to you, as the mechanics are
precisely the same as in the standard presentation. Whichever*
presentation you prefer, standard or alternate, the effect
achieves a profound impact on the audience.
How profound? My first performance of A DATE WITH
DESTINY (standard presentation) was before a large gathering of
management personnel from a major international corporation.
These were bright, educated people, many of them graduate engineersnot the type to be easily duped.
Even so, the effect blew them away! Not only was the
applause enthusiastic, but after my performance a number of them
approached me privately with such inquiries as, "You can really
do that, can't you?"
If you want an effect that converts hard-nosed skeptics into believers, I can personally recommend A DATE WITH DESTINY as one that's passed the test!