The strange story of Edgar Allan Poe’s death sounds like a story of his own. 1849. A man was found delirious in the streets of a town where he did not live, wearing clothes that were not his, unable or unwilling to discuss the circumstances in which he came.
Within days, he died, paralyzed by hallucinations in his final hours, repeatedly calling out the name of a man no one knew.
And the story of Edgar Allan Poe’s death is not only as bizarre and haunting as his work itself, but it remains a mystery to this day. Although historians have studied the details for a century and a half, no one knows for sure what caused Edgar Allan Poe’s death in Baltimore on October 7, 1849.
What The Historical Record Tells Us About Edgar Allan Poe’s Death
Edgar Allan Poe vanished six days before he passed away and just before his wedding.
On September 27, 1849, he had left Richmond, Virginia, for Philadelphia in order to edit a book of poems for a friend. He was discovered on October 3rd, confused and only partially awake, outside a Baltimore bar. Poe never made it to Philadelphia, and no one had seen him in the six days since he departed, it was eventually revealed.
It was unclear how he had arrived to Baltimore. He either didn’t know where he was or didn’t want to say why.
Poe was wearing obviously not his own highly filthy, tattered attire when he was discovered loitering outside a neighborhood tavern. Once more, he was either unable to or unwilling to give an explanation for his current situation.
He could only express one thing, though. Joseph Walker, a local typesetter for the Baltimore Sun, stated that Poe was only lucid long enough to give him a name: Joseph E. Snodgrass, an editor friend of Poe’s who also happened to have some medical expertise. Poe was discovered by Walker.
Fortunately, Walker was able to send a letter to Snodgrass.
Walker wrote: “I promise you, he is in need of immediate aid. There is a gentleman, somewhat the worse for wear, at Ryan’s 4th ward polls, who goes by the cognomen of Edgar A. Poe and who seems in considerable trouble.
In a short period of time, Snodgrass and Poe’s uncle showed there. They and Poe’s other family members were unable to provide an explanation for his actions or his disappearance. Poe had a blind fever while being taken to the Washington College Hospital by the two.
How Did Edgar Allan Poe Die?
Poe suffered from fever nightmares and intense hallucinations for four days. Reynolds was constantly requested, despite the fact that neither Poe’s family nor friends knew anybody by that name and that historians have been unable to place a Reynolds in the author’s life.
While his first wife, Virginia, had passed away over a year earlier and he was still engaged to Sarah Elmira Royster, he also made mention of a wife in Richmond.
On October 7, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe finally passed away as a result of his illness. Phrenitis, or enlargement of the brain, was first given as his official cause of death. However, these records have since vanished, and many people question their veracity.
Each of the dismal ideas put out by historians is as valid as the last.
One of the most well-liked ideas, which Snodgrass himself endorsed, was that Poe drank himself to death. This accusation was repeated in the months that followed Poe’s passing by his enemies.
Others claim Poe was a “cooping” victim.
In order to commit voter fraud, gangs would abduct civilians, force-feed them booze, and then bring their inebriated victims to the polls where they would repeatedly cast ballots for the same candidate. To avoid suspicion, they regularly made their prisoners change their attire or put on disguises.
Poe already had a reputation for being a renowned lightweight, and many of his friends claimed it only took a glass of wine to make him sick, supporting the idea that he overindulged—whether on purpose or out of need.
A different doctor, who examined Poe’s postmortem hair samples, asserted that Poe had avoided almost all alcohol in the months before to his passing, which added fuel to the rumors.
Edgar Allan Poe’s corpse has undergone several exhumations and examinations since his passing. The majority of illnesses, including rabies and influenza, have been ruled out, although other researchers contend that it is hard to establish that either one caused his death.
Additional research on Poe’s post-mortem hair samples produced no evidence, disproving other ideas that include poisoning of any kind.
A New Theory About Poe’s Death Sparks Fresh Debate
Brain cancer is one notion that has gained popularity recently.
There was a small accident when Poe was exhumed in order to be transferred from his Baltimore cemetery to a much finer one. Poe’s skeleton and the casket it was in were significantly deteriorated structurally after spending 26 years below, and they both disintegrated.
Poe’s skull had a unique trait that one of the personnel entrusted with putting the pieces back together noticed: a little, hard item rolling around inside it.
The material was immediately seized upon by medical professionals who said it was proof of a brain tumor.
Last but not least, there are others who believe that foul play was involved, as is to be anticipated in the death of such a strange guy.
Poe was staying with his fiancée’s family in Richmond when he passed away, according to a theory put forth by Edgar Allan Poe scholar John Evangelist Walsh.
According to Walsh, Poe’s future wife’s parents didn’t want her to wed the writer, and after making threats against Poe failed to break them up, the family turned to murder.
It seems appropriate that 150 years after his passing, Edgar Allan Poe’s death is still shrouded in mystery. He created the detective story, so it shouldn’t be surprising that he left the world with a genuine mystery.
The story of a man who spent 72 hours with 72 venomous snakes to prove they only bite when provoked
In the 1980s, an Indian man spent 72 hours in a glass cabin with 72 snakes, some of which were extremely venomous. His aim was to prove that snakes only attack when provoked. Remarkably, he was not bitten once in those 72 hours and even set a Guinness World Record in the process.
Nathan's Famous Doctor Stunt
When Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs first opened in 1916, the owner hired people to dress as doctors and eat hot dogs outside his shop, to convince people his hot dogs were healthy.
William James Sidis: The smartest person yet forgotten by people
William James Sidis, who was only 11 years old when he enrolled in Hardvard, finished his primary and secondary schooling in less than a year. He knew eight foreign languages by the age of eight and even invented his own language, "vedergood."
Thomas Baker's heroic act that earned him the "Medal of Honor" was 8 bullets until death
Thomas Baker instructed his team to leave him with a pistol and eight bullets propped up against a tree after he was injured. Later, American troops discovered the now-deceased Baker in the same location, lying next to eight dead Japanese soldiers and carrying an empty pistol.
The Forgotten Story of Semipalatinsk and the Soviet Nuclear Experiments
Between 1949 and 1989, the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan became the primary location for Soviet nuclear weapons tests, exposing millions of unsuspecting villagers to radioactive fallout. Known as the “Polygon of Suffering,” this remote desert witnessed 456 nuclear detonations that caused widespread health crises, birth defects, and generational genetic damage. This article narrates the chilling legacy of Semipalatinsk, unveiling the human cost of Cold War arms development and the ongoing struggle for healing and recognition in Kazakhstan.
The Arabia Steamboat: Unearthing a 19th Century Time Capsule from the Missouri River
The Arabia was a steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1856. Over time, the river shifted 800 meters to the east, eventually turning the site of the sinking into a field. The steamboat remained under 45 feet of slit and topsoil until 1988, when it was excavated. The mud, as it turned out, was such a great preserver that most of the artifacts on board were found to be intact. They even found jars of preserved apples that were still edible!
The day Iceland's women went on strike
Icelandic women went on strike for equal rights on October 24, 1975. 90% of women walked out of their jobs and homes, effectively shutting down the entire country. The men were struggling to keep up. The following year, Parliament passed a law requiring equal pay. Iceland elected the world's first female President five years later. Iceland now has the highest gender equality rate in the world.
Titanoboa cerrejonensis, fossils of the world’s largest species of snake
In 2009 in a coal mine of Columbia, scientists discovered fossils of the world’s largest species of snake. The species is called “Titanoboa cerrejonensis,“and it is from around 60 million years ago. It would have had measured about 48 feet long and weighed about 2,500 pounds
D.B. Cooper: Man who hijacked a plane and jumped out with a $200,000
On November 22, 1971, DB Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727, drank a whisky, smoked a fag, and then jumped out of the plane with $200,000. He was never again seen.
The Tragic Story Of Mary Ann Bevan, The ‘Ugliest Woman In The World’
After the death of her husband, Mary Ann Bevan had no income to support herself and her children. She then decided to enter a contest where she won the title of “ugliest woman” and was later hired by a circus. She endured this ridicule from the world to provide for her family.
The Mouth of Truth: Ancient Rome’s Legendary "Lie Detector" That Bit Off Hands
Discover the chilling legend of the Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità) in Ancient Rome—a massive carved stone face believed to bite off the hand of anyone who lied while inserting their hand into its gaping mouth. Uncover the truth behind its eerie reputation and how this ancient artifact became a symbol of honesty and fear.
Nearest Green, America's first known Black master distiller
Nathan "Nearest" Green was an African-American head stiller who is now more frequently referred to as a master distiller. He was renowned for imparting his distilling knowledge to Jack Daniel, the creator of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey distiller, after Jack Daniel was freed from slavery following the American Civil War.
The Littlest Skyscraper: How J.D. McMahon’s 480-Inch Con Fooled Investors in 1919
In 1919, J.D. McMahon convinced investors to fund a 480-foot skyscraper, but he labeled the plans as 480 inches, building a 40-foot structure instead. After taking $200,000, he won in court since the plans matched what he built.
The mysterious secret of Dr James Barry
Before women were allowed to enroll in medical school, Margaret Ann Bulkley studied medicine and assumed the identity of Dr. James Barry for 56 years while dressing as a man. After 46 years of service as an army doctor officer, her secret was not made public until after her death in 1865.
Story of Kathrine Switzer: the first woman to run in Boston Marathon
Before women were allowed to run in the Boston Marathon, Kathrine Switzer participated. A race official attempted to forcefully remove her from the race in 1967, but her boyfriend pushed him down. She was the first female finisher who had a numbered entry in the race.
The Horrific story of Ariel Castro and the Cleveland abduction
Cleveland abduction victims Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight, and Amanda Berry were forced to live in Ariel Castro's house of horrors for 10 years. He raped and beat them until they escaped in 2013.
Before Radar: How Giant Acoustic Mirrors Detected Enemy Aircraft in WWI and WWII
Long before radar revolutionized air defense, enormous acoustic mirrors and specialized sound locators stood as the first line of defense against enemy aircraft. Designed as giant “ears,” these structures amplified distant engine noises, allowing operators to detect incoming planes by sound alone. Dive into the intriguing world of these pioneering listening devices, their operation, limitations, and enduring legacy in military history.
How Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece
A Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece but people weren’t interested so he put armed guards in front of shipments of potatoes so people would think they were important. People later started stealing these potatoes a lot which spread the crop to all of Greece.
Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today
We are all aware that medicine has advanced dramatically over the last fifty years. There are several modern medical approaches available today, but this was not always the case. However, the past of medicine is a dark one. Medical leeches, lobotomy, vascular surgery, cranial stenosis, and even electroshock therapy are all options. These are only a couple of the cruel healing techniques that are still in use today.
What Was the Beast of Gévaudan?
Between 1764 and 1767, a mysterious animal called the Beast of Gévaudan terrorized the French village called Gévaudan. It attacked and killed about 100 adults and children. While most believe it was a wolf, some say it may have been a wolf-dog hybrid, hyena or even a lion, but without any genetic evidence, the beast will remain a mystery forever.
Blanche Monnier: Imprisoned For 25 Years For Falling in Love
Blanche Monnier, she was a French woman noted for her beauty, she wished to marry an old lawyer that her mother disapproved of, so she locked her in a small dark room in her attic for 25 years.
Marion Stokes recorded 30 years of television
Marion Stokes, a Philadelphia woman began taping whatever was on television in 1979 and didn’t stop until her death in 2012. The 71,000 VHS and Betamax tapes she made are the most complete collection preserving this era of TV. They are being digitized by the Internet Archive.
8 Interesting Facts About The Unsinkable Ship, TITANIC
If you ask your friends what's the most famous ship in history the answer in most cases will be the same, of course the legendary Titanic. Its history is full of mysteries, at first it was a source of hope and national pride as well as proof of the triumphs of mankind but it soon became a source of nostalgia and pain, the extent of which cannot be described in words.
How 18th Century Women’s Rights Movements Shaped Modern Equality
The 18th century marked a turning point in the quest for women’s rights, as passionate voices challenged centuries of gender inequality and laid the groundwork for modern feminism. From pioneers like Mary Wollstonecraft to revolutionary declarations and early advocacy, this era sparked debates on education, political participation, and social justice that continue to resonate today. Journey through the origins of women’s rights movements and discover how their bold ideas shaped the fight for equality.
The History Behind the “No One Dies Alone” Program
In 1986, while doing a night shift at the hospital, Sandra Clarke, a registered nurse, was asked by an elderly patient to stay. She promised to be back after checking on her other patients, but by the time she returned, the gentleman had passed away. Clarke became one of the key figures in launching No One Dies Alone, a program that allows volunteers to sit with terminal patients who have no one else.
