Agatha Christie – 20th-century British novelist, author of “Murder on the Orient Express” and “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”. The “Queen of Crime,” she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Her books have been translated into over 100 languages and sold more than 2 billion copies, ranking behind only the Bible and Shakespeare.
📖 Worked as a nurse and in a pharmacy, inspiring her accurate use of poisons. 💡 Famously disappeared for 11 days in 1926 – still a mystery. 📚 Over 2 billion books sold worldwide. 🎭 Her play “The Mousetrap” is the world’s longest-running stage production. 🖋️ Wrote her first novel on a bet with her sister. 🌍 Travels with her archaeologist husband inspired exotic settings like Egypt and Mesopotamia. ⚡ Her novels have been adapted to film and TV hundreds of times. 🏅 Honoured as Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1971. 😂 Curious: she actually disliked Poirot, though readers adored him. 😅 Funny fact: used the pseudonym “Mary Westmacott” to publish romance novels.