History of Sherlock Holmes

From his first literary appearance in 1887, the adventures of Sherlock Holmes have continued to compel and enchant audiences worldwide

Here, we document the development of Britain’s most famous fictional detective, known for his astute logical reasoning, his impeccable scientific skills and of course, his killer wit.

Sherlock Holmes timeline

	1875
1876–81 Conan Doyle studies medicine at Edinburgh University, where his chemistry professor Joseph Bell provides the blueprint for the character of Sherlock Holmes
	1885
April 1888 –February 1891 Whitechapel murders baffle police. Jack the Ripper never caught		1887 The first Holmes adventure, A Study in Scarlet, published in Beeton’s Christmas annual
	1890
February 1890 The Sign of the Four appears in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine 1893 Conan Doyle kills off Holmes after a battle to the death with Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach falls in Switzerland in The Final Problem		1890 Scotland Yard moves to its new location overlooking the River Thames and The Sign of the Four appears in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine 1891 A Scandal in Bohemia is the first Holmes adventure to appear in the Strand magazine
	1895
		October 1899 The Boer War begins
	1900
August 1901–April 1902 Hound of the Baskervilles serialised in The Strand, recounting an adventure set in 1889, two years before Holmes’ ‘death’1903 Doyle is persuaded to bring Holmes back to life. In The Adventure of the Empty House, set in 1893, Holmes explains how he faked his death		1902 Conan Doyle writes a short pamphlet justifying the UK’s role in the Boer War and is knighted soon afterwards
	1905
		1905The Return of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of 13 Sherlock Holmes stories is published
	1910
1912 Conan Doyle releases his first Professor Challenger novel – The Lost WorldSeptember 1914 and May 1915 The Valley of Fear serialised in The Strand		July 1914 First World War breaks out
	1915
1917 Holmes’ battle with German agent Von Borck is retold in His Last Bow		1916 Conan Doyle declares his belief in Spiritualism in Light magazineNovember 1918 End of First World War
	1920
1920 Conan Doyle meets Houdini
	1925
1927 The last Holmes adventure, The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place, appears in the Strand magazine1930 Conan Doyle dies of a heart attack, aged 71		1927 The final collection of stories is published in The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes1929 Centenary of Metropolitan Police

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