Sherlock Holmes Baffled is a very short silent film created between
1900 and 1903, with cinematography by Arthur Marvin. It is the
earliest-known film to feature the character of Sherlock Holmes, albeit
in a form unlike later screen incarnations of Conan Doyle's detective.
The inclusion of the character also makes it the first recorded
detective film. In the film, a thief who can appear and disappear at
random steals a sack of items from Sherlock Holmes. At each point,
Holmes' attempts to thwart the intruder end in failure. Originally
intended to be shown on the Mutoscope, an early motion picture device
which provided viewing to only one person at a time, Sherlock Holmes
Baffled has a running time of 30 seconds. Although probably produced in
April 1900, it was only registered in 1903, and a copyright notice
stating this is seen on some prints. The identities of the first screen
Holmes and his assailant are not recorded. Assumed to be lost for
several years, the film was rediscovered in 1968 as a paper print in
the Library of Congress. It is estimated that Sherlock Holmes has
become the most prolific screen character in the history of cinema.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_Baffled>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1792:
French Revolution: The National Convention voted to abolish the
monarchy, and proclaimed the First Republic.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Convention>
1898:
The Hundred Days' Reform in China was abruptly terminated when Empress
Dowager Cixi forced the reform-minded Guangxu Emperor into seclusion
and took over the government as regent.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Days%27_Reform>
1937:
J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, a predecessor to The Lord of the Rings,
was first published.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit>
1939:
Romanian Prime Minister Armand Călinescu was assassinated in Bucharest
by pro-Nazi members of the Iron Guard.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_C%C4%83linescu>
1999:
A 7.6 Mw earthquake struck Jiji, Nantou County, Taiwan, killing 2,416
people, injuring over 11,000 others and causing about NT$300 billion in
damage.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/921_earthquake>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
uraeus (n):
A representation of the sacred asp, symbolising supreme power in
ancient Egypt
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/uraeus>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Ah, you loved me as a loser,
But now you're worried that I just might win.
You know the way to
stop me,
But you don't have the discipline.
How many nights I prayed for
this,
To let my work begin.
First we take Manhattan,
Then we take
Berlin.
--Leonard Cohen
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen>