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Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809. His father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died a year later. He was then taken in by a successful merchant, John Allan. He attended various schools before going to the University of Virginia. The students there were supposed to govern themselves, but they did a poor job of it; Poe's gambling debts got bigger and bigger. Eventually, he dropped out, doing odd jobs to keep himself afloat. Poe then enlisted in the United States Army, where a book he wrote only printed 50 copies. His commanding officer would only allow him to be discharged if he reconciled with John Allan. The unsympathetic Allan finally relented when Frances Allan passed away. Poe then enlisted at West Point. Allan's disputes over his children eventually led to him disowning Poe, who purposefully tried to get himself dismissed. Poe then moved to Baltimore and tried to live on writing alone; he didn't choose a good time to try. Many publishers simply pirated British works. He sold his first short story in 1832 and married his cousin Virginia in 1836. Her death may have inspired some of his early works. In 1845, Poe finally became popular when he published his poem, "The Raven." Unfortunately, he died four years later due to mysterious causes.