The Madness of Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle is justifiably famous for being the creator of the ultimate detective in English literature, Sherlock Holmes. Contrary to popular belief, Conan Doyle was not himself the model for Sherlock Holmes. In fact, as will become immediately apparent, Conan Doyle was far from the logical pragmatist that is Sherlock Holmes. In fact, Arthur Conan Doyle may quite possibly have been one of the most easily misguided individuals ever.

For instance, take the infamous story of the real life fairies. This bizarre little episode in Conan Doyle's life was retold in the 1997 film FairyTale: A True Story. In 1917 two young British girls were telling stories of finding actual winged fairies in the wooded area behind their home. Their stories were not believed until one of the girls borrowed a camera from her father and came back with photographs that apparently not only showed the fairies, but the girls interacting with the little pixies. Later, the girls also took a photograph of a gnome. Although the dad believed the photos to be faked, the story really hit the big time a few years later when the mother, a big believer in spiritualism, showed them to psychics. Although there were mixed opinions, ultimately many believed the photos to be rock solid evidence, despite the fact that nothing ever showed up when the girls took photos in the presence of other witnesses.