Mark Twain

Full Name: Samuel Clemens
Profession: Author

Nationality:

Why Famous: American author and humorist, best known for "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1876) and its sequel, "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1885), the latter often called "the Great American Novel."

Born: November 30, 1835
Birthplace: Florida, Missouri, USA
Star Sign: Sagittarius

Died: April 21, 1910 (aged 74)
Cause of Death: Heart attack

Articles and Photos

War Breaks Out Behind Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin sounds like a sentimental children's book. In fact, it is a hard-hitting exposé of the slavery trade and part cause of the American Civil War.
June 14, 1811
The Hidden Depths of Mark Twain
Forced to find a new job when the American Civil War struck the Mississippi river, Samuel Longhorne Clemens turned to writing and Mark Twain was born.
February 2, 1863
How the Qwerty Keyboard was Born
A typewriter patent was granted on this day to the man who would go on to produce and inflict on us all the ubiquitous Qwerty keyboard.
June 23, 1868
Ulysses S. Grant’s Race Against Time
One newspaper called Ulysses S. Grant America’s ‘most corrupt’ President. Historians now doubt that and admire his courage in telling his remarkable story.
July 23, 1885
Explosive Background to the Nobel Prize
Albert Nobel died on this day. His unique Nobel Prize legacy rewarded pioneers in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace, and economics.
December 10, 1896

Married Life

1870-02-02 American writer (Huckleberry Finn) Samuel Langhorne Clemens, pen name Mark Twain, (34) marries Olivia Langdon (24) in Elmira, NY

Historical Events

1863-02-03 Samuel Clemens first uses the pen name Mark Twain in a Virginia City newspaper, the "Territorial Enterprise"
1865-11-18 Mark Twain publishes "Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"
1884-12-10 "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain is first published in the UK and Canada (US Feb 1885, due to printing error)
1885-02-18 Mark Twain publishes the "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in the US
1931-04-06 "A Connecticut Yankee" film based on novel by Mark Twain, directed by David Butler, starring Will Rogers is released

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