Edgar Allan Poe was born.
Edgar Allan Poe . Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories , particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre . It was at this time that his publishing career began , albeit humbly , with the anonymous collection of poems Tamerlane and Other Poems ( 1827 ) , credited only to `` a Bostonian '' . Poe switched his focus to prose and spent the next several years working for literary journals and periodicals , becoming known for his own style of literary criticism .