Uri Geller: The Man Who Brought Spoon Bending to Prime Time

Mind Over Metal: The Science of Spoon Bending Part 2

Before TikTok trends, before YouTube tutorials, and before the term “psi” was widely known, there was Uri Geller—a charismatic Israeli performer who lit the global stage on fire by doing something seemingly impossible: bending metal with his mind, live, on camera.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1946, Geller claimed his extraordinary abilities emerged in childhood, sparked by a mysterious encounter with a pulsating orb of light in a garden near his home. At around six years old, he recalls a sphere emitting a beam that struck his forehead, knocking him to the ground. Shortly after, while eating soup, he noticed a spoon bending and breaking in his hand—an event he links to the activation of his psychic powers. This childhood experience, Geller insists, set the stage for his lifelong journey as a self-proclaimed psychic.

As his reputation grew in the early 1970s, Geller became a sensation—appearing on talk shows, giving live demonstrations, and shocking audiences by bending spoons, stopping watches, and influencing compasses using nothing but apparent mental focus. What captivated people most wasn’t just the bent silverware—it was the way Geller invited us to consider the hidden power of the human mind.

His 1973 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson became a defining moment in the history of psychic phenomena in pop culture. Carson, a former magician and a well-known skeptic, invited Geller on with the intention of testing his abilities under controlled conditions. The result was awkward: Geller struggled to perform. The media dubbed it a failure. But for many viewers, the mere possibility that the stunt could have been real was enough to ignite a wave of public curiosity.

Geller’s abilities drew attention far beyond entertainment. In 1973, he was invited to the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in California, where scientists Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff conducted a series of experiments as part of the CIA’s Stargate Program, aimed at exploring psychic phenomena for potential intelligence applications. Over eight days, Geller was placed in shielded rooms and tasked with tasks like replicating drawings he couldn’t see. In one notable test, when the word “fuse” was chosen and a firecracker drawn outside his room, Geller described “a cylinder with noise coming out of it” and sketched a drum. The CIA concluded that Geller “demonstrated his paranormal perceptual ability in a convincing and unambiguous manner,”.

Hal Puthoff, Kit Green, Russel Targ, Pat Price 1974  Photo by Russell Targ. 

Supporters saw Geller as proof of latent human potential. Detractors, like magician and skeptic James Randi, accused him of using sleight of hand and spent years attempting to debunk his claims. Randi even published a book titled The Truth About Uri Geller, sparking a long-standing feud that still fuels conversations around scientific rigor and belief.

Despite the controversy, Uri Geller’s influence has been undeniable. He inspired countless young people to experiment with telekinesis and explore consciousness. His story sparked new waves of research into psychokinesis and mind-matter interaction, including at institutions like SRI. Pop culture references to spoon bending—from The Matrix to Pokémon—can often be traced back to the stir Geller created.

Love him or doubt him, Uri Geller cracked something open. He gave a generation permission to ask: What if?  What if we’re capable of more than we think? What if reality is more flexible than we were taught?

In the next blog, we’ll explore how aerospace engineer Jack Houck took the spoon bending phenomenon even further—by inviting entire communities to try it themselves.

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