The life of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, started out as what many people would see as commonplace, but grew into something truly remarkable.

He was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. His family didn’t spend much time there as Clemens’ father moved them to Hannibal in search of new business opportunities. Clemens enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the river town until the sudden death of his father in 1847.

Shortly after, Clemens dropped out of school and went to work as an apprentice printer at a local newspaper. He eventually started typesetting at his brother’s newspaper, even writing short articles on occasion. In 1853, he went off on his own, traveling to Iowa, Philadelphia, and New York while working for various papers. Once he had his fill of traveling adventures, Clemens decided to pursue his dream of becoming a steamboat pilot. He became an apprentice pilot in 1857 and earned his full license in 1859. 

Clemens navigated the Mississippi for four years until the Civil War began and steamboat travel was limited. He set out west with his brother, the newly appointed Nevada territorial secretary, and became a reporter. It was then that he used his famous pen name, Mark Twain, for the first time. This was also the time when he got the idea for a story about a frog jumping contest. His story ran in the New York Saturday Press on November 18, 1865 and was a big hit with readers.

Once Clemens moved to Connecticut, he began to take his writing career more seriously and released his most famous novels, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court in 1889. 📚

Although he achieved financial success with his writings, he struggled to invest his money in prosperous ventures. He was fascinated with science and developing technologies, and he formed a friendship with Nikola Tesla. Clemens tried his hand at inventing, but his products did not garner the success he hoped for. He was able to improve his financial situation by going on speaking tours throughout the world with thousands of people coming to hear his famous humor and wit.

Clemens would continue to write and do speaking engagements into his later years until he passed away on April 21, 1910. There ended the story of a famous American author whose adventurous spirit and sarcastic humor created a lasting legacy in literary history. 📖

NOTE: This article was originally published in the Beyond the Stacks newsletter. View more "This Month in Missouri History" articles on our newsletter archive!