International Sherlock Holmes Day celebrated worldwide on Friday

Fans around the world are celebrating International Sherlock Holmes Day on Friday, marking the birthday of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the enduring legacy of his iconic detective. The day honors a character whose adventures, spanning from 1887 to 1927, have profoundly shaped global popular culture.

The festivities began earlier this month with a pilgrimage by members of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London to Switzerland’s Reichenbach Falls. On May 3, wearing Victorian-era attire, the enthusiasts reenacted the fatal 1893 confrontation between Holmes and his nemesis, Professor James Moriarty, from the story "The Final Problem." In that original tale, both characters appear to plunge to their deaths, a scene Conan Doyle intended to permanently conclude the series.

The author, born May 22, 1859, sought to kill off Holmes because he felt the detective stories were overshadowing his historical works. The public outcry was immediate, with readers canceling magazine subscriptions and wearing black armbands in mourning. A decade later, Conan Doyle revived Holmes in "The Adventure of the Empty House," revealing the detective had staged his death.