Milbourne Christopher
| Milbourne Christopher | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | 23 March 1914 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died |
17 June 1984 (aged 70) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Magician, historian, and skeptic |
Milbourne Christopher (23 March 1914 – 17 June 1984) was a prominent American illusionist, magic historian, and author.
President of the Society of American Magicians, an honorary vice-president to The Magic Circle, and one of the founding members of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Christopher wrote a number of books, including a biography of Harry Houdini titled Houdini: The Untold Story, a chronicle of his own craft titled The Illustrated History Of Magic, and thousands of essays relating to magic and mentalism.
Christopher regarded those individuals who claimed extrasensory perception or psychic powers to be actually using magic trickery. He wrote three book-length exposés regarding those he said were false seers or psychics: ESP, Seers & Psychics; Mediums, Mystics, & The Occult; and Search For The Soul. In the latter book he found no evidence for the existence of the soul. Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell who was influenced by Christopher recommended the books "without reservation."
Christopher also debunked parapsychology experiments and experimenters during his lifetime. Ironically, despite his denial of the existence of psychic or paranormal powers, and like fellow magicians Harry Houdini and James Randi, both of whom also worked to expose false psychics and mediums, Christopher was accused by some of using paranormal powers to perform his own magic tricks and illusions.
In November 2010, Christopher's widow, Maurine Brooks Christopher, published a special edition of Houdini: A Pictorial Life with Christopher Collection curator.
The Society of American Magicians honors his memory annually by presenting "The Milbourne Christopher Awards" to performing magicians and illusionists in various categories, including: the Masters Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Mentalist Award, Literary Award, and a Newcomer Award.
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