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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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