On January 12, 1976,
Agatha Christie died at age 85 at her home in Wallingford,
Oxfordshire, England. At her death, she was one of the most
popular writers of all time, the author of more than 100
novels, including a legendary collection of murder mysteries
that featured the fictional detectives Miss Jane Marple and
Hercule Poirot. Her books have been translated into more
languages than any other author in literary history,
including Shakespeare.
Christie also wrote nineteen stage plays, including The
Mousetrap, a 1952 play that premiered at London's West End
Theatre and is still currently being performed elsewhere. It
is the longest continuously-running stage play in history,
with more than 27,000 performances during 65 years. The play
has such a surprising ending that, after the final curtain
goes down, patrons are asked not to reveal it.