There was a republic of the Soviet Union called the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Winston Freer -LRB- August 10 , 1910 -- April 21 , 1981 -RRB- was born in St. Albans , Vermont .. In 1926 , at the age of 16 , Freer saw Howard Thurston perform and became interested in magic .. magic. magic ( illusion ). Howard Thurston. Howard Thurston. He grew up to be one of magic 's cleverest inventors .. magic. magic ( illusion ). In the 1930s , Freer worked at Abbott 's Magic in Colon , Michigan and performed under the name Alladin and later Doc Maxam .. Freer gained a reputation for performing effects like freezing ice in his bare hand .. ice. ice. He also startled magicians by performing a suspension while standing in the middle of a floor entirely surrounded .. It was captured on the cover of The Linking Ring , August 1941 .. Winston Freer also published his occurrence classification of magic in International Brotherhood of Magicians magazine ` The Linking Ring ' , which classifies effects from the audience 's point of view .. magic. magic ( illusion ). International Brotherhood of Magicians. International Brotherhood of Magicians. Freer also fancied himself a mathematician .. mathematician. mathematician. One of his most impressive creations was his Tile Puzzle .. Puzzle. Puzzle. What makes it so interesting is that neither the pieces nor the frame change shape or size in any way .