Charles Mason (April 1728 – 25 October 1786) was an English astronomer who made significant contributions to 18th-century science and American history, particularly through his survey with Jeremiah Dixon of the Mason–Dixon line, which came to mark the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania (1764–1768).The border between Delaware and Maryland is also defined by a …

Early life. Born in Muswell Hill, London, Nixon attended the Westcliff High School for Boys in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.His father was a lawyer whose hobby was magic and who took Nixon to watch performers such as Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant.One magician who made an early impression on the young boy was Stanley Collins, who had a gentlemanly image which …