John Nevil Maskelyne

John Nevil Maskelyne
Born	(1839-12-22)22 December 1839 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Died	18 May 1917(1917-05-18) (aged 77) Marylebone, London, England
Occupation(s)	Magician, escapologist, inventor, and paranormal investigator
Spouse	Elizabeth Taylor (1840–1911)
Children	Nevil Maskelyne
Parents	John Nevil Maskelyne (1800–1875) Harriet Brunsdon (1812–1871)

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. In 1914 he founded the Occult Committee, a group to "investigate claims to supernatural power and to expose fraud".