On November 30, 1835, the small town of Florida, Missouri had witnessed the birth of its most famous son Samuel Langhorne Clemens alias Mark Twain. Samuel Langhorne Clemens was the sixth child of John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens. What makes Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) is the fact that he was born and died in the same years that Halley's comet passed the earth. About four years after Samuel's birth in 1839, the Clemens family moved to the town of Hannibal and his father had built a two-story frame house at 206 Hill Street in 1844. Samuel's father was a judge, storekeeper, lawyer and land speculator. . Samuel was kept in his home in Hannibal due to ill health, but by the age of nine Samuel had recovered from his ailments. Mark Twain, also known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was considered America's most famous literary icon (symbol) during his era. (http://www.cmgww.com) After Samuel recovered from his ailments, he attended a private school in Hannibal. Jane Clemens became responsible for the household in 1847 when John Clemens died unexpectedly of pneumonia. The Clemens family "now became almost destitute (empty)" and were forced into several years of economic hardship, a fact that would change the career of Samuel L. Clemens aka Mark Twain. (http://www.biography.com) Shortly after John Clemens' death, Samuel found work as a printer's apprentice at the Hannibal Courier which paid him with a small portion of food and in 1851, at the age of fifteen, Samuel had found work as a printer, occasional writer, and editor at Hannibal Western Union, run by his older brother, Orion. At the age of seventeen, Samuel had left Hannibal to work as a printer in St. Louis. (http://www.cmgww.com)In 1857......middle of paper......to them too. We can research the American mentality of the late 19th century and make our own observations about history, as well as discover new connections, draw new conclusions, and gain a deep understanding of the historical period and the people who live in it. As Samuel Langhorne Clemens aka Mark Twain once said: “Assuming is good, but finding out is better.” (http://www.marktwainhouse.org)Work Cited"Biography of Mark Twain". Mark Twain's official website. Ed. Michele Nagel. CMG Worldwide, July 5, 2006. Web. May 20, 2014."Samuel Langhorne Clemens." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. May 21, 2014. Cash, David. “A Life Lived in a Rapidly Changing World: Samuel L. Clemens‚ 1835-1910. “Welcome to the Mark Twain Home and Museum.” The Mark Twain Home and Museum, n.d. Web, May 20 2014.