Did you know...

[silversolitaire]

... that the term "cliffhanger" is credited to Sherlock Holmes, describing the fact that he managed to escape death by hanging onto a cliff while the rest of the world assumed he was dead and considered his series over, even though it left a feeling of unsatisfaction in everyone, only to return later in another part?

Comments

[kribban.livejournal.com]

I was told it came from those serial adventure films in the silent era, where they would show a series of films like a mini series almost, one film every sunday afternoon. Too make sure the audience came back the next Sunday the filmmakers would end each film with the hero or heroine in a lethal situation i.e. hanging off a cliff.