10 Strange Things You Didn't Know About Edgar Allan Poe

1. By the time he was three he was an orphan. 
2. Some scholars believe his dad abandoned the family, while others note that he may have died. 
3. Poe started writing poetry and criticisms at the ripe old age of 13. 
4. Because of poor money management he only attended college for a semester. 
5. He joined officer school at West Point Military Academy to pay off gambling debts. 
6. Soon after, his drinking habits caught up with him and he was kicked out! 
7. He only turned to writing as a job after becoming desperate for work. 
8. He married his 13 year old cousin and lived with her for 7 years until she died an untimely death at the hands of tuberculosis. 
9. Because several of his stories are told from the first person point of view, and because the characters know intimate details of drug use, several critics believe that Poe was pulling from his own personal experiences.
10. According to myth, he died under mysterious circumstances which many attributed to his heavy use of alcohol. 

Needless to say, Poe's life (and death) was as sad, mysterious, and crazy as his writing.