12 Mysterious Facts About Sherlock Holmes
Genius
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who created Holmes, was inspired by a real-life lecturer of his at the University of Edinburgh.
His name was Dr. Joseph Bell, who could diagnose patients simply by looking at them when they walked into his surgery.
Cricket?
Sherlock Holmes was originally going to be called Sherrinford.
The name was altered to Sherlock, possibly because of a cricketer who bore the name.
O W
The first Sherlock Holmes novel was something of a flop.
Doyle was inspired to write the second novel after a dinner meeting with Oscar Wilde.
Deerstalker
Sidney Paget, who drew the illustrations, had Holmes wearing a deerstalker when the detective went into the country to investigate mysteries at country houses and in small rural villages.
But he rarely wore the deerstalker hat in the books.
Film Him
Sherlock Holmes is the most-filmed fictional character.
According to IMDb, Holmes has appeared in 226 films and been played by dozens of different actors since the advent of cinema in the late 19th century.
Elementary
Holmes never says 'Elementary, my dear Watson.'
The first recorded use of this exact phrase is actually in a P. G. Wodehouse novel of 1915, Psmith, Journalist.
Home
The Sherlock Holmes Museum both is and isn't at 221B Baker Street.
The museum's building lies between 237 and 241 Baker Street, making it physically -- if not officially -- at number 239.
Doctor
Dr Watson narrated all of the Sherlock Holmes stories…
Except for four, two are told in the third person, the other two are told by Holmes himself.
Fooled
The very first film adaptation to feature Holmes, Sherlock Holmes Baffled, was made in 1900.
Painter
In "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter", Holmes claims that his great uncle was Vernet, the French artist.
Casework
Holmes is described as being in active practice for twenty-three years, with Dr Watson documenting his cases for seventeen of them
Drug Related
Holmes uses addictive drugs, which he turns to especially when lacking stimulating cases.
Holmes is a habitual cocaine user, which he injects in a 7 percent solution.
Holmes is also an occasional user of morphine, but expresses strong disapproval of opium. All three were legal in late-19th-century England.
Case Closed