What Mark Twain Knew About You 100 Years Before You Were Born

Wordsmiths are notably the double-edged sword of political and comedic digs thrust upon an unsuspecting world. Mark Twain, who rode in on Halley’s Comet and correctly predicted that he would catch the same ride out of here, is possibly one of the world’s brightest shining stars.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, was born two months prematurely on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri, and remained sickly and frail until he was 7-years- old. Twain certainly had his work cut out for him when it came to unleashing his forward-thinking and tongue-in-cheek essays on life. Unlike the Pony Express, which only lasted for about 19 months before the Telegraph took over in 1861, Mark Twain is still one of the most poignant and penetrating thinkers to ever hit the planet.

Ernest Hemingway, who was no slouch in the writing department, claimed, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.’ It’s the best book we’ve had.”

The Huffington Post reveals five things few of us know about this famed writer that we all love. For instance, “Mark Twain” is actually a boating term that he picked up while riding on steamboats around Missouri. Who knew?

If Mark Twain was alive today, WWMTD? What would he think about contemporary problems and situations that grab the headlines today?

Mark Twain might offer this bit of advice to start the healing process for people who are torn over the Ferguson, Missouri incident.

“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”

In fact, Twain would offer this profound thought to heal any situation and release people from pain, “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”

Twain brought comic relief into his own world with zany actions, like accidentally joining the Confederate Army for two weeks because he was not tuned into the politics at the time. All in a day’s work.

And let’s not forget that Mark Twain arranged for Helen Keller’s education to be paid for at Radcliffe College. Surely he had this thought in mind for his lovely friend, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

KBPS reports that Jay Leno is the most current recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for his contributions to society. Mark Twain would approve.

The Inqusitr shines the spotlight on our dear old friend, Mark Twain, in remembrance of a man who speaks to the hearts and minds of all people with words that ring true today, “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”

[Image courtesy Rischgitz/Getty Images]