Mark Twain

He was born November 30 th 1835 in Florida, Missouri to John Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton Clemens

He was the sixth of seven children. Only three of his siblings survived childhood: His brothers Orion and Henry and his sister Pamela survived His sister Margaret died when Samuel was four His brother Benjamin died three years later His brother Pleasant died at the age of six months

Unfortunate Tragedies… In March 1847, when Samuel was 11, his father died of pneumonia. While training as a steamboat pilot, Samuel convinced his younger brother Henry to work with him. Henry was killed on June 21, 1858 when the steamboat he was working on exploded.

When Sam was 4, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri And this would be the place to inspire him to write The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Other Facts: Missouri was a slave state and considered by many to be part of the South, but it did not join the Confederacy. When the war began, Clemens and his friends formed a Confederate militia, but never went into war to fight.

Off to work we go… In 1848, he became a printer's apprentice. In 1851, he began working as a typesetter and contributor of articles and humorous sketches for the Hannibal Journal, a newspaper owned by his brother, Orion.

Tom Sawyer fun facts: The Adventures of Tom SawyerThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer, was created from his youth in Hannibal. The character of Tom Sawyer was modeled on Samuel as a child, with traces of two schoolmates,Tom Sawyer John Briggs and Will Bowen. Also introduced, in a supporting role, was the character of Huckleberry Finn who was based on Clemens' boyhood friend Tom Blankenship.

Traveling the world… When he was 18, he left Hannibal and worked as a printer in New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Cincinnati.

At 22, Clemens returned to Missouri. On a voyage to New Orleans down the Mississippi, a steamboat pilot named, Bixby, inspired Clemens to pursue a career as a steamboat pilot; It paid him $250 per month, equivalent to $155,000 a year today.

The Mississippi River’s incredible coverage ….

When Clemens met Charles Langdon, Charles showed him a picture of his sister, Olivia; Clemens claimed to have fallen in love at first sight.

And marriage… Sam and Olivia met in 1868, were engaged a year later, and married in February The Clemens marriage lasted 34 years, until Olivia's death in 1904.

The Clemens Family… The Clemens had three daughters: Susy, Clara and Jean. Their son Langdon died of diphtheria at 19 months. Samuel Clemens outlived his daughters, Jean and Susy as well as his wife, Olivia

Rags and Riches… Clemens made a substantial amount of money through his writing, but he spent much of it in bad investments, mostly in new inventions.

Twain’s end… Twain is quoted as saying: “ I came in with Halley’s Comet in It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.' ” Twain died of a heart attack on April 21, 1910

What do you remember? How many siblings did he have? Name one job he had other than a writer. What historic event happened on the day he was born and the day he died? How many children did he have? What was his wife’s name? What state was he born in? Who did he base characters in Tom Sawyer on? Name one of the many places he traveled to.