On This Day

American writer Edgar Allan Poe (26) marries his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Clemm

Edgar Allan Poe (né Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales…

Edgar Allan Poe (né Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as one of the central figures of Romanticism and Gothic fiction in the United States and of early American literature. Poe was one of the country's first successful practitioners of the short story, and is generally considered to be one of the pioneers of the detective fiction genre. In addition, he is credited with contributing significantly to the emergence of science fiction.

Historical Significance

Edgar Allan Poe (né Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre.

Key People

Edgar Allan Poe

writer and critic

American writer and critic

Events Before

  1. US national debt reaches $0 for the first and only time in history

    The history of the United States public debt began with federal government debt incurred during the American Revolutionary War by the first U.S treasurer, Michael Hillegas, after the country's…

  2. Maria II of Portugal marries Auguste, Duke of Leuchtenberg

    Dona Maria II (Maria da Glória Joana Carlota Leopoldina da Cruz Francisca Xavier de Paula Isidora Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga de Habsburgo-Lorena e Bragança; 4 April 1819 – 15 November 1853)…

  3. First installment of Hans Christian Andersen's "Fairy Tales" is published by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark

    Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales,...

  4. Soldier and politician Jefferson Davis (27) weds Sarah Knox Taylor (21) in Louisville, Kentucky

    Soldier and politician Jefferson Davis (27) weds Sarah Knox Taylor (21) in Louisville, Kentucky

  5. Swedish-American inventor John Ericsson files for a patent for his screw propeller design

    Swedish-American inventor John Ericsson files for a patent for his screw propeller design

Events After

  1. Canada grants its Black citizens the right to vote

    Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the second-largest...

  2. German composer Felix Mendelssohn (27) weds French clergyman's daughter Cécile Jeanrenaud (20), until his death in 1847

    German composer Felix Mendelssohn (27) weds French clergyman's daughter Cécile Jeanrenaud (20), until his death in 1847

  3. Charles Goodyear obtains his first rubber patent

    Charles Goodyear obtains his first rubber patent

  4. Earthquake in southern Syria kills thousands

    Earthquake in southern Syria kills thousands

  5. Michigan admitted as 26th US state

    Michigan ( MISH-ig-ən) is a peninsular state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwestern United States.

More from the 1830s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 16, 1836?
Edgar Allan Poe (né Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as one of the central figures of Romanticism and Gothic fiction in the United States and of early American literature. Poe was one of the country's first successful practitioners of the short story, and is generally considered to be one of the pioneers of the detective fiction genre.
Why is American writer Edgar Allan Poe (26) marries his 13-year-old cousin Virginia ... significant?
Edgar Allan Poe (né Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre.
Who was involved in American writer Edgar Allan Poe (26) marries his 13-year-old cousin Virginia ...?
Key figures include Edgar Allan Poe (writer and critic).

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