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Eugène François Vidocq Eugène François Vidocq was a self-reformed French criminal who turned a young life of fraud, theft, and womanizing into a crime-fighting legacy. Vidocq's 18th century legacy still persists today. He was the inspiration for a variety of famous literary characters. Vidocq's expertise in French crime-fighting also served as the model for modern crime-fighting organizations such as the FBI and Scotland Yard Eugene Francois Vidocq founded the first known private detective agency in France: Le Bureau des Renseignements. A former-criminal-turned-policeman, Vidocq's agency was staffed by detectives who were all former criminals.He is also considered by historians and law enforcement to be the father of modern criminal investigations. |
Vidocq is credited with introducing the science of ballistics to police work. He also was the first to make plaster casts of shoe impressions. An inventor, Vidocq held patents on indelible ink and unalterable bond paper. He was also considered a master of disguise and surveillance.
Vidocq was also the inspiration for many famous writers, including Victor Hugo, Edgar Allen Poe, and Charles Dickens. (seems familiar:)) |
First Fictional DetectivePerhaps the most famous detective in fiction is Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But he is not the first fictional detective. Edgar Allen Poe created the first detective in fiction: C. Auguste Dupin. Dupin was a private detective living in Paris. In fact, he is based on none other than Eugene Francois Vidocq. Dupin appears in three popular stories: The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Purloined Letter, and The Mystery of Marie Roget.
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