World-renowned detective. Most portrayed character in history. Icon. Who are we speaking of? Why, Sherlock Holmes, of course! Any self-respecting amateur detective would guess that! The ultimate detective archetype, the character of Sherlock Holmes has been a hero to millions since his creation well over a century ago. So can all agree he more than deserves his very own day? Of course, elementary my dear Watson!

History of Sherlock Holmes Day

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, says the character was originally inspired by Joseph Bell, a surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for whom Doyle had worked as an assistant. Like Holmes, Bell was famous for his ability to draw broad conclusions from minute observations.

Francis “Tanky” Smith, a policeman and master of disguise who was Leicester’s first private detective, is also thought to have influenced the character. Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes story first appeared in print in 1887 and continued to be published for the next forty years, until shortly before the author’s death. During this time, the detective had countless adventures, usually accompanied by his loyal friend and assistant, Dr. Watson.

How to celebrate Sherlock Holmes Day

With there being so very many different versions of the iconic character, the ways of celebrating this day are virtually unlimited. If you enjoy reading and have somehow never read these wonderful stories (gasp!) it is high time you did.

The weather in May in Most parts of the world is quite nice, so an afternoon lounging lazily in the shade of a tree and getting lost in the world created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one great idea. If you’ve already read them or feel like giving your eyes a bit of a break, how about watching one of the many shows or movies made about Holmes?

Regardless of who your favorite Hollywood celebrities are, you are sure to find someone you love breathing new life into the Sherlock Holmes character. From Sir Ian McKellen to Robert Downey Jr., to Christopher Lee, Benedict Cumberbatch and dozens of others, there are more than enough versions of Sherlock Holmes to choose from.

If you feel like being a bit more active, Sherlock Holmes Day might be the perfect time to play a little detective, yourself. Do you have a feeling there might be something up at work that you’ve been dying to find out about but that none of the managers seem to want to talk too much about? Has someone been stealing your sandwiches out of the refrigerator? Or maybe you’ve been getting some enamored texts from an unknown number and would love to know who’s sending them? Whatever little mystery is keeping you awake at night, let today be the day you decide to find out what’s up!

And if you have children, Sherlock Holmes Day is the perfect day to get them interested in a real literary classic that never gets old, and maybe get them into reading as a whole in the process. How you end up celebrating Sherlock Holmes Day is a mystery to us, and one that’s up to you to solve!