Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, renowned author born 22 May 1859, is primarily known for introducing the character of Sherlock Holmes to the world. He was also a physician—which explicitly helped him expand his literary horizons. Doyle trained as a doctor at Edinburgh University gaining his degree in 1881. He worked as a surgeon on a whaling boat and also as a medical officer on a steamer, after which he settled in Portsmouth on the English south coast and divided his time between medicine and writing.
Aside from the Sherlock Holmes series, he also wrote fantasy and science-fiction stories about Professor Challenger, humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction and historical novels. He also wrote a pamphlet justifying Britain’s involvement in the Boer War—for which he was knighted—as well as histories of the Boer War and World War I, both of which killed his son, brother and two of his nephews. Doyle died on 7 July 1930 in Windlesham, his home in Crowborough, Sussex.