Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by his pen name Mark Twain, was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, a Mississippi River town that heavily inspired his most famous settings. Before achieving literary fame, he worked as a printer's apprentice, typesetter, and riverboat pilot—an experience that later informed his book Life on the Mississippi. He also traveled west to Nevada and California, working briefly in mining before turning to journalism.
Twain achieved widespread recognition with his 1865 humorous short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." He went on to write some of the most enduring classics of American literature, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), which is frequently hailed as the "Great American Novel." His other notable works include A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894).
Renowned for his wit and satire, Twain became a highly sought-after public speaker and a friend to global elites. Despite his literary success, he suffered severe financial losses from bad investments, notably the Paige Compositor, leading to bankruptcy. He eventually repaid his debts in full with the help of financier Henry Huttleston Rogers. In his later years, Twain became a vocal anti-imperialist, serving as vice president of the American Anti-Imperialist League and writing against colonial atrocities. He died in 1910, famously predicting his death would coincide with the return of Halley's Comet.
