François Mingaud
... that billiards player François Mingaud invented the leather cue tip, perfected backspin, then persuaded an audience that the balls were "tormented by a devil"?
... that <a href="./Cue_sports" id="mwEq0" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Cue sports">billiards</a> player <b id="mwEq4"><a href="./François_Mingaud" id="mwEq8" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="François Mingaud">François Mingaud</a></b> invented the leather <dfn about="#mwt69" data-mw='{"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Cuegloss","href":"./Template:Cuegloss"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"Cue tip"},"2":{"wt":"cue tip"}},"i":0}}]}' id="mwErA" typeof="mw:Transclusion"><a href="./Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#cue_tip" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Glossary of cue sports terms"><span class="glossary-link" style="color:inherit; " title="See entry at: Glossary of cue sports terms § Cue tip">cue tip</span></a></dfn>, perfected <dfn about="#mwt70" data-mw='{"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Cuegloss","href":"./Template:Cuegloss"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"Spin"},"2":{"wt":"backspin"}},"i":0}}]}' id="mwErE" typeof="mw:Transclusion"><a href="./Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#spin" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Glossary of cue sports terms"><span class="glossary-link" style="color:inherit; " title="See entry at: Glossary of cue sports terms § Spin">backspin</span></a></dfn>, then persuaded an audience that the balls were "tormented by a devil"?