Mark Twain Timeline

Mark Twain is known as one of America's most popular writer who enjoyed an important position in the world of literature due to his witty sense of humor. He paved the path for many in creative writing. Here is a presentation of the Mark Twain timeline, which traces many important events related to his life.

1835: Mark Twain, originally known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri on November 30, 1835. He was the sixth of the seven children born to his father, John M. and mother, Jane L. Clemens.

1839: This year, Clemens family moved to Hannibal which was a town on the Mississippi River.

1847: His father, passed away this year due to pneumonia. This was also the year when he worked as a typesetter and also contributed various articles to the Hannibal Journal. This newspaper was owned by his brother, Orion.

1851: His first known sketch appeared in the Hannibal Journal called A Gallant Fireman.

1853: He worked as a printer in St. Louis, New York City, Philadelphia etc. He also worked as a correspondent for Iowa's Muscatine Journal from Philadelphia.

1854: This was the year when Twain worked for his brother Orion's Ben Franklin Book and Job Office, Keokuk, Iowa.

1856: He gave his first public speech at the printer's banquet which was held in Keokuk, Iowa.

1858: He lost his brother, Henry Clemens, this year due to an explosion of the steamboat.

1859: He received his steamboat pilot license this year.

1861: He worked as a river pilot till this year when the American Civil War broke during the same year.

1862: This was the year when he wrote for the Territorial Enterprise which was located in Nevada.

1863: Samuel Langhorne Clemens adopted the pen name Mark Twain this year.

1864: He worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Morning Call and the Sacramento Union.

1865: This was the year when he penned down The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, which was later published as The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.

1866: He visited Sandwich Island in Hawaii representing the Sacramento Union as a reporter.

1867: He was arrested for misconduct in New York City, which led to a night in jail. This was also the year when he published The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Stories. A local newspaper also funded a trip to the Mediterranean.

1868: He paid a visit to Connecticut to meet the publisher of The American Publishing Company. He also met Olivia Langdon, with whom he had already fallen in love with.

1869: He wrote a collection of travel letters. These were compiled as The Innocents Aboard this year.

1870: He married Olivia Langdon in Elmira, located in New York, on February 2.

1872: Olivia gave birth to Susan.

1873: He began building a dramatic house for his family after purchasing a property on Farmington Avenue.

1874: Olivia gave birth to a second daughter, Clara.

1876: This was the year when he published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He also began work on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but stopped it a few months later.

1879: He resumed work on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but stopped it after a certain point.

1880: This was the year, which saw another book being published titled A Tramp Abroad. This year, his third daughter, Jane (Jean) was born.

1881: This year, his book titled The Prince and the Pauper, was published.

1882: He traveled down the Mississippi River to research for his book Life on the Mississippi. He also resumed work on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

1883: He finally finished writing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn during this year.

1885: This was the year when The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published. This book has also been called the Great American Novel.

1888: He was awarded the Master of Arts degree at the Yale University.

1892: This year, he published The American Claimant.

1894: Tom Sawyer Abroad was published this year.

1896: He met Mahatma Gandhi this year. He also published Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc.

1898: He met Sigmund Freud this year.

1901: This was the year when he received Doctor of Letters from the Yale University. From this year onwards, he served as a Vice-President for the next nine years.

1902: This was the year when he visited Hannibal for the last time.

1906: He began work on his autobiography.

1907: He received the honorary Doctor of Letters this year.

1909: This year, He said the words, I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. 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.

1910: His quote turned out to be true, since he passed away on April 21 in Redding, Connecticut. This was just a day later after comet's closest approach to Earth.