On this day in 1849, writer Edgar Allan Poe died in Baltimore under mysterious circumstances, the cause of death speculated to be anything from alcoholism, a brain tumor, or even murder. While Poe died relatively unknown in his time, he has since been recognized as one of, if not the greatest, author of horror and the macabre. For decades after Poe’s death, an unknown toaster placed a bottle of cognac and three roses at his gravesite every January 19th, to mark his birthday.
