The Real-Life "Disguise" Disaster

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based Sherlock Holmes on his university professor, Dr. Joseph Bell, who possessed incredible powers of observation. Attempting to be a detective himself, Conan Doyle once wore a disguise to investigate a real-world crime scene. However, his disguise was so poorly put together that a local street urchin immediately recognized him, yelled his name, and a crowd gathered to mock him. He never tried undercover detective work again.