Edgar Allan Poe Facts for Kids

A Picture of Edgar Allan Poe
  • Name: Edgar Allan Poe
  • Profession: Editor, Literary Critic, Poet and Writer
  • Born: January 19th, 1809 in Boston, MA, USA
  • Died: October 7th, 1849 in Baltimore, MD, USA
  • Resting Place: University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA
  • Legacy: Famous for his mysterious and macabre poems and short stories

21 Edgar Allan Poe Facts for Kids

  1. Edgar Allan Poe was an editor, poet and writer in the United States of America.
  2. Edgar Allan Poe is most famous for his poems and short stories that were both mysterious and macabre.
  3. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19th, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
  4. Edgar Allan Poe was the son of American actor David Poe Jr. and English actress Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe.
  5. Edgar Allan Poe had an older brother named William Henry Leonard Poe and a little sister named Rosalie Poe.
  6. Edgar Allan Poe married Virginia Eliza Clemm on May 16th, 1836 in Richmond, Virginia, USA.
  7. Edgar Allan Poe died on unknown causes at the age of 40 on October 7th, 1849 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
  8. Poe’s father abandoned his family when he was about one years old and his mother died before he was three.
  9. Poe was raised by John and Frances Allan, but he was never officially adopted by them.
  10. In 1826, Poe attended the University of Virginia. He would only attend the university for one year, his debts from gambling prevented him from being able to pay for college. His stepfather disapproved of gambling and refused to pay for his education any further.
  11. In 1827, Poe enlisted with the United States Army under the name of Edgar A. Perry. During his enlistment he claimed he was 22 years old, but his actual age was 18. The highest rank Poe achieved while in the United States Army was Sergeant Major for Artillery.
  12. In 1827, Poe published his first book “Tamerlane and Other Poems”. This book was a collection of poetry. Roughly 50 copies were produced, and the book received near zero attention.
  13. In 1829, Poe wrote the poem “Alone”, but never published it. Many people believe this poem was written by Poe after the loss of his foster mother Frances Allan. The poem was published in 1875 by Poe’s family.
  14. In 1830, Poe became a cadet at the West Point Military Academy. However, he would purposely get court-martialed that same year so he would get kicked out.
  15. In 1831, Poe published the poem “To Helen”. The poem was dedicated to Jane Stanard, a mother of one of his childhood friends. This was the first poem where Poe used his name as the author.
  16. In 1838, Poe published the novel “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket”. This was the first and only novel completed by Poe.
  17. In 1841, Poe published the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”. This short story written by Poe is claimed to be the first modern detective story.
  18. In 1844, Poe published an article in the New York Sun newspaper about a fake balloon trip across the Atlantic Ocean by European Monck Mason. Today this newspaper article is known as The Balloon-Hoax.
  19. In 1845, Poe’s poem “The Raven” was published in the January 29th edition of the New York Evening Mirror. The Raven made Poe very popular and he became a household name.
  20. In 1849, Poe’s poems “The Bells” and “The Annabel Lee” were published after his death.
  21. Poe’s death in 1849 is just as mysterious as his work. No one knows how Poe died and the events that lead up to his death are a mystery. To this day, no one knows what caused Poe’s death.

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