Thursday, January 19, 2012

January 19: This Day in History

 



19

This Day in History

 

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Jan 19, 1809:

Edgar Allan Poe is born

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On this day in 1809, poet, author and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

By the time he was three years old, both of Poe's parents had died, leaving him in the care of his godfather, John Allan, a wealthy tobacco merchant. After attending school in England, Poe entered the University of Virginia (UVA) in 1826. After fighting with Allan over his heavy gambling debts, he was forced to leave UVA after only eight months. Poe then served two years in the U.S. Army and won an appointment to West Point. After another falling-out, Allan cut him off completely and he got himself dismissed from the academy for rules infractions.

Dark, handsome and brooding, Poe had published three works of poetry by that time, none of which had received much attention. In 1836, while working as an editor at the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond, Virginia, Poe married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. He also completed his first full-length work of fiction, Arthur Gordon Pym, published in 1838. Poe lost his job at the Messenger due to his heavy drinking, and the couple moved to Philadelphia, where Poe worked as an editor at Burton's Gentleman's Magazine and Graham's Magazine. He became known for his direct and incisive criticism, as well as for dark horror stories like "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Tell-Tale Heart." Also around this time, Poe began writing mystery stories, including "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Purloined Letter"--works that would earn him a reputation as the father of the modern detective story.

In 1844, the Poes moved to New York City. He scored a spectacular success the following year with his poem "The Raven." While Poe was working to launch The Broadway Journal--which soon failed--his wife Virginia fell ill and died of tuberculosis in early 1847. His wife's death drove Poe even deeper into alcoholism and drug abuse. After becoming involved with several women, Poe returned to Richmond in 1849 and got engaged to an old flame. Before the wedding, however, Poe died suddenly. Though circumstances are somewhat unclear, it appeared he began drinking at a party in Baltimore and disappeared, only to be found incoherent in a gutter three days later. Taken to the hospital, he died on October 7, 1849, at age 40.

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Previous Day

 

 

 

 

Also on This Day

Lead Story

Edgar Allan Poe is born, 1809

 

American Revolution

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Automotive

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Civil War

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Cold War

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Crime

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Disaster

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General Interest

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Hollywood

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Literary

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Music

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Old West

Mexican rebels kill Charles Bent, 1847

 

Presidential

Ford pardons Tokyo Rose, 1977

 

Sports

Notre Dame beats UCLA to end 88-game winning streak, 1974

 

Vietnam War

Eisenhower cautions successor about Laos, 1961

Operation McLain is launched, 1968

 

World War I

First air raid on Britain, 1915

 

World War II

British attack Italians in Africa, 1941

 

 

This Week in History, Jan 19 - Jan 25

Jan 19, 1809

Edgar Allan Poe is born

 

Jan 20, 1981

Iran Hostage Crisis ends

 

Jan 21, 1977

President Carter pardons draft dodgers

 

Jan 22, 1998

Ted Kaczynski pleads guilty to bombings

 

Jan 23, 1957

Toy company Wham-O produces first Frisbees

 

Jan 24, 1935

First canned beer goes on sale

 

Jan 25, 1905

World's largest diamond found

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