John Nevil Maskelyne

John Nevil Maskelyne 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".

22 December 1839

Born on the same birth day (22 December): David Pearson (racing driver) • Kang Kam-ch'an • Lasse Bengtsson • Luis Francisco Cuéllar • Marc Allégret • Matty Alou • Moonbyul • Nick Johnson (basketball) • Patricia Hayes • Steve Carlton • Vanessa Paradis

Born in the same month (December 1839): George Armstrong Custer • János Murkovics