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Edgar Allan Poe is Born
Edgar Allan Poe (born Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. -
Poe's Sister is born
Rosalie Poe, the only sister of the poet. Then as mysteriously as though engulfed by an earthquake or received into a cloud she disappeared. Those nearest her there have merely conjectures to offer as to her fate, and only careful investigation has discovered her burial place and revealed the last scenes of her life. -
Poe's Parents Die
Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. -
Poe writes his first poem
Poe wrote his first poem out of depression. The poem was based off his dead parents. -
Poe enlists in the U.S. Army and shortly after his first book is published
Poe enlisted in the United States Army on May 26, 1827, under the pseudonym "Edgar A. Perry." (He was eighteen at the time but claimed to be twenty-two.) -
Poe's older brother dies
Edgar's older brother Henry dies of either tuberculosis or cholera at the age of 27. This coold have lead to his dpressing poems. (shmoop) -
Poe marries his thirteen year old cousin, Virginia Clemm
The couple were first cousins and married when Virginia Clemm was 13 and Poe was 27 -
Poe writes his first novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym
Edgar Allan Poe's first book has sold for a record price -
Poe's story collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque is published in two volumes
This new collection of 25 stories became Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. By September of 1839, he had finally convinced a publisher to print this two-volume set. -
Poe publishes the poem, The Raven
first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. -
Poe's wife Virginia dies of tuberculosis at their home in the Bronx
Poe's wife Virginia dies of tuberculosis at their home in the Bronx. Poe has been so despondent during the final months of her illness that friends thought he was going insane. The loss of his wife sends Poe into a downward spiral of alcoholism. Some say this lead to a change in his poems. (shmoop) -
Edgar Allen Poe Dies
On 3 October 1849, Edgar Allan Poe was found in a Baltimore street (some reports say in a gutter), semi-conscious and wearing clothes that didn't fit him. He was taken to a hospital, where he spent four delirious days before perishing on 7 October 1849. He was 40 years old.
