Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1838-1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He is noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), called “the Great American Novel”, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Twain achieved great success in his life as a writer and public speaker.

However, although he made a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, he lost much of it in poor investments and was forced to declare bankruptcy. Despite this, Twain worked hard to ensure that all of his creditors were paid in full. Born during a visit by Halley’s Comet, he died on its return.