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Mark Twain is born
Samuel Langhorne Clemens is born in Florida, Missouri, the sixth child of John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens. -
Family Moves to Hannibal
The Clemens family moves to Hannibal, Missouri, a riverbank town that is a frequent stop for steamboats traveling the Mississippi. Young Samuel reveres the riverboat pilots and hopes to become one himself. -
Death of Twain's Father
Samuel's father John Clemens dies, forcing the family into financial hardship. -
Twain Takes Work as Printer
At the age of 15, Samuel leaves school and goes to work as a printer in Hannibal. -
Apprentice River Pilot
Samuel Clemens begins a successful two-year apprenticeship to become a licensed river pilot. He learns the lingo of the trade, including "mark twain," a phrase that refers to the river depth at which a boat is safe to navigate. He soon adopts it as his pen name -
Death of Twain's Brother
Twain's youngest brother Henry is killed at the age of 20 in an explosion on the steamboat Pennsylvania. Henry had been training to become a steamboat pilot, at Twain's encouragement. Twain, devastated by his brother's death, feels responsible for it for the rest of his life. -
Civil War
The Civil War breaks out. Trade along the Mississippi River is halted, forcing an end to Twain's steamboat career. Twain spends two weeks training in a volunteer Confederate militia before it disbands. -
Twain in California
Twain travels to northern California, visiting Calavaras County before settling in San Francisco. -
"Jumping Frog" Published
The short story "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog" (later "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County") appears in the New York Saturday Press. The story proves extremely popular and raises Twain's profile as a writer. -
Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is published -
Life on the Mississippi
Twain publishes Life on the Mississippi, his memoir of his years as a steamboat pilot. -
Twain Founds Publishing Company
Twain founds his own publishing company, Charles L. Webster & Co. (named after his nephew and co-owner Charles L. Webster). It turns out to be a bad financial move—the company's struggles will eventually ruin his family's finances. -
Huck Finn
In the span of less than a year, Twain publishes both his greatest fiction and non-fiction works: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and a biography of President Ulysses S. Grant. -
Death of Mark Twain
Mark Twain dies at the age of 74 at his home in Redding, Connecticut
