Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland. A prolific writer of much renown, his books were mostly detective fiction. He is most famous for the Sherlock Holmes stories, but also wrote such things as the Lost World. He also popularized the mystery of the wreck of the Mary Celeste, and wrote about Professor Challenger, a rude, crude, genius.

Doyle was a highly trained doctor who started out his career as a ship's doctor. When he came to settle in London, he opened up a practice and while waiting for patients, he began to write. When he first tried to get his stories published, he had trouble, like most writers. But, when he finally started selling his Sherlock Holmes stories to the Strand Magazine, they began to gather a following. When he became tired of Sherlock he tried to stop writing him, even charging a huge price. But, his publisher agreed to the price, making Doyle one of the highest paid authors of his time. Doyle tried to kill Sherlock along with Professor Moriarty. But, the outcry was so huge, that he had to bring him back and write that only Moriarty had died.

After writing "The War in South Africa: It's Cause and Conduct", Arthur Conan Doyle was knighted by King Edward VII. The English government had taken a lot of flack for their part in the war. He also helped investigate a few criminal cases and opened up two cold cases, exonerating the men falsely accused. Because of his work The Court of Criminal Appeal was established.

Because of a string of losses of loved ones close together, including his wife, son and two brothers, Doyle became a spiritualist. He joined the Ghost Club, and became friends with Harry Houdini, until Harry refused to admit his magic was more than just illusion. Doyle became convinced Houdini was a mystic.

In July of 1930, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle passed away due to a heart attack. His last words was to his wife, he said, "you are wonderful." He was originally buried in the rose garden behind his manor, because he was a spiritualist and not a Christian, he couldn't be buried in a church. But, when his wife passed, he was reburied next to his wife in Minstead churchyard in Hamshire. The inscription on his gravestone is; "Steel True/ Blade Straight/ Arthur Conan Doyle/ Knight, Patriot, Physician, and a Man of Letters."