O. Henry O. Henry William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American short story writer. His stories are known for their surprise endings. William Sidney Porter was born on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He changed the spelling of his middle name to Sydney in 1898. His parents were Dr. Algernon Sidney Porter (1825–88), a physician, and Mary Jane Virginia Swaim Porter (1833–65). William's parents had married on April 20, 1858. When William was three, his mother died after birthing her third child, and he and his
USS William D. Porter (DD-579) Porter" which shot down balloons as well. "Porter", along with the other escort ships, also demonstrated a torpedo drill by simulating a launch at "Iowa". This drill suddenly went awry when a torpedo from mount #2 aboard "William D. Porter" discharged from its tube and headed toward "Iowa". "William D. Porter" attempted to signal "Iowa" about the incoming torpedo but, owing to orders to maintain radio silence, used a signal lamp instead. However, the destroyer first misidentified the direction of the torpedo and then relayed the wrong message, informing "Iowa" that "Porter" was backing up, rather than that a torpedo