Arthur Conan Doyle, born in Edinburgh in 1859, was a trained doctor who balanced his medical career with writing. He is best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, who first appeared in A Study in Scarlet in 1887. The detective's popularity grew rapidly, though Doyle famously attempted to end the character's run in 1893 to focus on more serious work. Public demand led him to revive Holmes, and he went on to write dozens of stories featuring the iconic sleuth. Doyle also wrote historical novels and non-fiction, but it is Holmes who remains his most enduring legacy.