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Edgar Allan Poe was born
Edgar Allan Poe was born 19 January 1809 in Boston to Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David Poe, Jr. His parents were traveling actors. The family was dirt poor. -
Poe's sister is born
The Strange Case of Rosalie Poe. There is a tradition that Edgar Allan Poe's sister Rosalie was born on December 10, 1810, but there is no solid documentary evidence for this claim. -
Poe's parents die
On 8 December 1811, Elizabeth Poe died of tuberculosis in Richmond, Virginia; and by 1811, his father had abandoned the family -
Poe writes his first poem
There's is no name for this poem, rather it is a verse -
Poe enlists in the U.S. Army
Poe enlists in the U.S. Army under the name "Edgar A. Perry." Shortly after, his first book—a poetry collection entitled Tamerlane and Other Poems—is published. -
Poe's older brother dies
The brothers saw much of each other in 1827 and in 1829 and 1831. Edgar wrote to John Allan, August 10, 1829, that Henry was already hopelessly addicted to drink. He incurred debts that were later to embarrass Edgar, who wrote to Allan about them on November 18, 1831, after Henry's death. -
Poe marries his thirteen year old cousin, Virginia Clemm
179 years ago today, it was OK to marry your underage first cousin — and Poe did exactly that with Virginia Eliza Clemm. Like so many aspects of Edgar Allan Poe's life (including his death), the nature of his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Eliza Clemm, is shrouded in mystery. -
Poe writes his first novel "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym"
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship called the Grampus. -
Poe's story collection "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque" is published
Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, the companion volume to Poe's better-known Tales of Mystery and Imagination, contains a selection of his very best stories, many of which first appeared in book form in the original Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque in 1840. -
Poe publishes the poem, "The Raven"
“Once upon a midnight dreary” begins "The Raven," setting the mood for one of the most recognizable poems written in English. Edgar Allan Poe's spooky raven enters the narrator's house, perches on a bust above his chamber door, and repeats only one word, “nevermore.” -
Poe's wife dies
In January 1842 she contracted tuberculosis, growing worse for five years until she died of the disease at the age of 24 in the family's cottage, at that time outside New York City. -
Edgar Allen Poe Dies
On October 7, 1849, prolific horror writer Edgar Allan Poe died of mysterious causes in a secluded hospital room in Baltimore, Maryland. His death caused a stir and created many sensational theories as to how he died, including murder, suicide, and disease.
