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Mark Twain is born
Samuel Langhorne Clemens is born in Florida, Missouri, as the sixth of seven children of John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens. -
Family Moves to Hannibal
Samuel's family moves to Hannibal, Missouri which inspired the fictional town of St.Petersburg in his famous novels. Samuel admires the riverboat pilots in Hannibal and hopes to become one himself. -
Twain's father dies
Samuel's father dies and the family enters financial hardship. -
Mark Twain works as a printer
Samuel Clemens leaves school at the age of 15 to become a printer. -
Apprentice River Pilot
Samuel begins a successful two-year apprenticeship to become a river pilot. He learns about the trade including the phrase "Mark Twain" which refers to the river depth at which a boat can safely navigate. He later makes it his pen name. -
Twain's brother dies
Twain's youngest brother Henry dies in an explosion on the steamboat "Pennsylvania" at the age of 20. Mark had encouraged Henry to train to become a steamboat pilot and felt he was responsible that his brother died for the rest of his life. -
Civil War
The Civil War breaks out and trade along the Mississippi river is stopped putting an end to Mark's steamboat career. -
Twain heads west
In an adventure later wrote about in the book "Roughing It", Twain travels to Nevada with his brother Orion, who had been named the secretary of the territorial governor. He tried his hand at mining and other jobs before becoming a reporter for the Virginia City "Daily Territorial Enterprise." -
Twain settles in San Francisco
Twain travels to northern California and settles in San Francisco. -
"Jumping Frog" is published
The short story "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog" appears in the New York "Saturday Press." The story becomes extremely popular and raises Twain's status as a writer -
Twain gives his first public lecture
Twain travels to Hawaii as a reporter for San Francisco's "Alta California" newspaper. When he returns to the mainland a few months later, he gives his first public lecture and it becomes a hit. -
Twain meets future wife
Twain meets Olivia "Livy" Langdon who is the sister of a friend. He instantly falls in love with her. -
Twain publishes his first book
Mark publishes his first book called "The Innocent Abroad. It becomes a bestseller. -
Twain gets married
Mark Twain gets married to Olivia Langdon. Their son Langdon is born later that year. -
Twain moves to Connecticut
Twain moves his family to Hartsfield, Conneticut. He also publishes the book "Roughing It" which is about his years in the west. His daughter Susy is born but their son Langdon dies of diphtheria. -
Twain publishes "The Gilded Age"
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Twain's daughter Clara is born
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"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is published
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Jean Clemens is born
The couple have their fourth and final child, their daughter Jean. -
"Life on the Mississipi" is published.
Twain publishes "Life on the Mississippi" which is about his years as a steamboat pilot. -
Twain founds publishing company
Twain founds his own publishing company Charles L. Webster & Co. It turns out as a bad financial move and the company's struggles eventually ruin his family's finances. -
'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is published.
Within a year, Mark Twain publishes both his greatest work "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" as well as a biography of President Ulysses S. Grant. -
Connecticut Yankee
Twain publishes "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" and critics tear the book to shreds. -
Twain's family moves to Europe
After a series of poor business decisions, Twain's finances are in shambles. He relocates his family to Europe for cheaper living. -
Twain's last novel; publishing company fails
Twain's last novel, "Puddn'head Wilson is published. Also, after ten difficult years Mark's publishing company is washed up. He finds himself practically bankrupt but his close friend takes over his finances, saving him from complete disaster. -
Lecture Tour
Twain does a worldwide lecture tour in order to pay back his creditors. -
Susy Clemens dies
At the age of 24, Susy dies of meningitis in the U.S while Twain is lecturing in Europe. Mark was particularly close with his daughter and never fully recovered from her death, which marked the end of his most successful period as a writer. -
Death of Livy Clemens
Twain's wife dies after a serious two-year illness. After Livy's death, Twain moves to New York City and begins writing his autobiography. -
Family Troubles
Twain's youngest daughter Jean is institutionalized due to severe epilepsy. -
Death of Jean Clemens
Twain's youngest daughter, Jean, passes away. -
Mark Twain dies
At the age of 74, Mark Twain dies at his home in Redding, Connecticut
