The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe - 7th October 1849

American short story writer, poet, and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe died on this day, 175 years ago. 

Noted for his macabre stories, he is also sometimes also considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre and being a significant contributor to the emergence of science fiction.

Born Edgar Poe in Boston in 1809, a year later his father deserted the family and upon the passing of his mother in 1811, he was taken in by John and Frances Allan of Richmond, Virginia.

Edgar Allan Poe's grave

He died in mysterious circumstances, aged 40. He was found delirious in the street in Baltimore on 3rd October, wearing someone else’s clothes. He was never coherent enough nor able to explain what happened, and died 4 days later. His cause of death remains unknown to this day although there are many theories.

He was known to have suffered numerous bouts of severe depression in his short lifetime and had alcohol and drug problems.