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Edgar Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts to touring actors David and Eliza Poe. David abandoned the family a year after Edgar was born. -
Eliza Poe died of tuberculosis in Richmond, Virginia while on tour. Soon after, Edgar was taken in by Richmond couple John and Frances Allan. The Allans did not officially adopt Edgar, therefore he could not take their last name, and instead became Edgar Allan Poe. -
Edgar and the Allans moved to England as John Allan attempted to expand his business abroad. Edgar attended boarding school where he excelled academically. -
Edgar and the Allans returned to Richmond. Edgar continued schooling and showed great aptitude for Latin, poetry, acting, and swimming. -
Edgar secretly became engaged to Elmira Royster. Their engagement did not last long because Elmira’s father disapproved of Poe and encouraged her to marry someone else. Elmira married Alexander Shelton and broke off the engagement to Poe. -
Edgar Allan Poe attended the University of Virginia. Arriving with only a third of the money needed for tuition, he began to gamble to raise funds. Poe accumulated incredible debt and left after a semester. -
Edgar Allan Poe moved to Boston and published his first book of poetry “Tamerlane and Other Poems” under the pseudonym “A Bostonian.” He then joined the army. -
Edgar Allan Poe was discharged from the army and then attended West Point, a military academy. He published his second book of poems with the help of other army men. The book “Poems” (1831) was not well received by its patrons. -
Edgar Allan Poe encountered financial issues and was court-martialed from West Point for “extreme dereliction of duty.” He then moved to Baltimore and lived with relatives including his aunt Maria and cousin Virginia. -
Poe’s short story “MS. Found in a Bottle” won a literary prize and was published in Baltimore’s Saturday Visiter Awards. This was considered to be one of Poe’s first literary successes. -
The Southern Literary Messenger published Poe’s short story “Hans Phaal, A Tale”. It was considered to be one of the earliest modern science fiction stories. The story imagines a future where people can ride hot air balloons to the moon.