Aviva Trivia

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, is considered one of America’s foremost writers.  His works have influenced generations of writers and classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are read in high schools and universities across the country.  Perhaps, best known for his characteristic (and sometimes irreverent) wit, Mark Twain is one of the most beloved writers of all time.  The following offerings relate fascinating facts and trivia about this notable author’s life and career.

Twain was born in Florida, Missouri (two months early) to parents John and Jane Clemens in 1835 during the presidency of Andrew Jackson.  Soon after, his parents purchased a home on the town’s Main Street, but by 1839 the family had moved to Hannibal, Missouri.  The boys could see the Mississippi river from their upstairs bedroom window.

Twain was six in a lineup of seven children.  Only he and two others (brother Orion and sister Pamela) survived into adulthood.  Twain suffered from color blindness.

As a child, Twain learned to swim in Hannibal’s dangerous Bear Creek.  He witnessed the drowning of two friends in this creek.

In 1844 his father became justice of the peace.  It is this period that researchers believe influenced the subject matter for Tom Sawyer.  In 1851 Twain began to help his brother run a local newspaper.  As a young man Twain was also an apprentice to two printers.

Twain’s father died in 1847 forcing the boys to seek out stable, well-paying work.

One of Twain’s biggest literary influences was The Arabian Nights.  His later work would often allude to the tales.  Twain also greatly admired the poet Robert Browning he later met in 1873.

By 1859 he had received his steamboat piloting license.  Piloting a steam boat offered one of the highest paying salaries during this era of American history–$250 per week.  Obtaining this license involved roughly two years of study; Twain had to learn the Mississippi inside and out.

Twain’s younger brother Henry was killed in a steamboat explosion in 1858.  Twain felt guilty for this death throughout his life as he had persuaded his brother to work on the river.  He continued work as a river pilot until the Civil War put a stop to river traffic.  Twain was actually in New Orleans the day that Louisiana declared its succession from the Union.

During the war Twain traveled west for stint at silver mining.  It was during this period that he settled on his famous pen name.

Twain was known for his anti-slavery views well before they came into fashion.  However, some of his work, like Huckleberry Finn, has been termed racist for its use of derogatory terms.

In 1868 Twain finished work on his manuscript Innocents Abroad.  He would not begin writing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer until 1874.  In 1876 he began writing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

In 1867 Twain was received by Russia’s Alexander II.  Twain dined with Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1892 while traveling through Europe.  In 1899 he met with Austria-Hungary’s Franz-Josef.

In 1867 Twain developed a serious enjoyment of billiards.  He enjoyed the game for the rest of his life.

In 1868 Twain met Harriet Beecher Stowe.

In 1870 Twain married Olivia Langdon in Elmira, New York.  She was known to Twain and her family as Livy.  Their first son died of diphtheria in infancy.  Mrs. Clemens then gave birth to three daughters-Susy, Clara and Jean.  Susy died of spinal meningitis during Twain’s lifetime in 1896 sending him into frequent bouts of depression.  Twain was on a European tour when she died.  Olivia lived until 1904.

In 1871 Olivia contracted typhoid.  During their marriage she was often frail and ill.  Today, researchers believe she may have been suffering from Pott’s disease.

In 1888 Yale presented Twain an honorary degree.  Oxford presented him an honorary doctorate in 1907.

Twain’s daughter Susy began to write a biography of her father when she was just thirteen.  He was able to incorporate her work into his own autobiography.

Twain gave Anne Sullivan the label “miracle worker” for her work with Helen Keller.

During his lifetime, Twain lost a considerable part of his fortune in poor investments.  Many of these investments were for inventions.  He met with Nikola Tesla in 1894 and seemed always to have a keen interest in science.

Bermuda was the last foreign locale Twain visited before he died.

Twain was diagnosed with heart disease in 1909.  His daughter Jean died this same year resulting in the author’s greater depression.  He died in 1910.   Twain’s daughter Clara lived until 1962 dying at the age of eighty-eight.

Twain would have a profound influence on future writers like William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway.  Today Twain is remembered for his wit, satire and humorist writings.