On January 19, 1809, poet, author and literary critic Edgar
Allan Poe was  born in Boston, Massachusetts.

By the time he was three years old, both of Poe’s parents had
died, leaving him in the care of his godfather, John Allan, a
wealthy tobacco merchant. After attending school in England,
Poe entered the University of Virginia (UVA) in 1826. After
fighting with Allan over his heavy gambling debts, he was
forced to leave UVA after only eight months. Poe then served
two years in the U.S. Army and won an appointment to West
Point. After another falling-out, Allan cut him off completely
and he got himself dismissed from the academy for rules
infractions.

Poe had published three works of poetry by that time, none
of which had received much attention.

A first edition copy of “Dracula” signed by Bram Stoker.

The first copies of the classic vampire novel Dracula, by Irish writer Bram
Stoker, appeared in London bookshops.

A childhood invalid, Stoker grew up to become a football (soccer) star at
Trinity College, Dublin. After graduation, he got a job in civil service at
Dublin Castle, where he worked for the next 10 years while writing drama
reviews for the Dublin Mail on the side. In this way, Stoker met the well-
respected actor Sir Henry Irving, who hired him as his manager. Stoker
stayed in the post for most of the next three decades, writing Irving’s
voluminous correspondence for him and accompanying him on tours
in the United States. Over the years, Stoker began writing a number of
horror stories for magazines, and in 1890 he published his first novel,
The Snake’s Pass. Stoker would go on to publish 17 novels in all

Abraham "Bram" Stoker
(November 8, 1847 – April 20, 1912) 

CARLATA BRADLEY

 
On this day in 1962, the Soviet Union exchanged captured American U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers (seated) for the Soviet KGB spy Rudolph Ivanovich Abel (right) being held by the U.S. 

Francis Gary Powers and a U2 recon aircraft .

The Glienicke bridge just after the Powers swap.

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849)

On January 19, 1809, poet, author and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe
is born in Boston, Massachusetts. He is best known for his poetry
and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre
widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the U.S. and
of American literature as a whole, and he was one of the country’s
earliest practitioners of the short story. He is generally considered
the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is further credited
with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was
the first well-known American writer to earn a living through writing
alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

TIM MAGUIRE

Actor/producer Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is 45 yeas old today. As
of 2019, his films have earned $7.2 billion worldwide, and he has
placed eight times in annual rankings of the world’s highest-paid
actors. His accolades include an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.

Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio at the 88th Academy Awards (2016):
Best Actor, win, for The Revenant.