Edgar Allan Poe's Life Timeline

Early Life and Education

• Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts
• His mother died on December 8, 1811, and he was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Allan
• Poe attended school in England at Chelsea Elementary in 1815
• He dropped out of school in 1827 due to financial issues with his adoptive father, John Allan
• Poe wrote and printed his first book, "Tamerlane and Other Poems", in 1827

Military and Writing Career

• Poe joined the US Army in 1827 to support himself
• He applied to West Point in 1829 and was accepted as a cadet
• Poe intentionally got kicked out of West Point in 1831
• He won a contest for his first story, "The Manuscript Found in a Bottle", in 1835
• Poe married his young cousin, Virginia Clemm, on May 16, 1836

Writing Achievements

• Poe wrote the poem "Ligeia" in 1838
• His first volume of short stories, "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque", was published in 1839
• Poe wrote "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" in 1841, earning him the nickname "Father of the Detective Story"
• He won a hundred-dollar prize for "The Gold Bug" in 1843
• Poe wrote the famous poem "The Raven" in 1845

Later Life and Death

• Poe's wife, Virginia Clemm, died of tuberculosis on January 30, 1847
• Poe was found half-conscious outside of Gunner's Hall on October 3, 1849, and was taken to a hospital
• He died on October 7, 1849, at the age of 40