John Nevil Maskelyne, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

John Nevil Maskelyne

English magician and inventor of the pay toilet

Date of Birth: 22-Dec-1839

Place of Birth: Cheltenham, England, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 18-May-1917

Profession: inventor, illusionist, magician

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

John Nevil Maskelyne (22 December 1839 – 18 May 1917) was an English stage magician and inventor of the pay toilet, along with other Victorian-era devices.
He worked with magicians George Alfred Cooke and David Devant, and many of his illusions are still performed today.
His book Sharps and Flats: A Complete Revelation of the Secrets of Cheating at Games of Chance and Skill is considered a classic overview of card sharp practices, and in 1914 he founded the Occult Committee, a group whose remit was to "investigate claims to supernatural power and to expose fraud".