During Mark Twain’s life (1835-1910), there were some of the most important technological progresses seen in history that influenced Twain to become such a passionate inventor. Some of the world changing inventions of his time dealt with communication and transportation. The first steam railroad transportation was created, a steam powered ship went across the Atlantic using only steam power, the telegraph inception in 1844 was created, and most importantly, the telephone was patented when Mark Twain was in his 50’s. During these times, they weren’t known as technology, but rather “machinery” and “inventions” because of the everyday use they encountered and being the first usage of machinery to communicate as well as transport. Today, these “inventions” would be considered technology.

 

Because of these inventions and the progress Twain was able to make through his inventions, as well as his ability to write, he praised any other inventor. When Twain started to become bankrupt, his mind started to change and felt as though the materials were beginning to become meaningless, until these inventions of communication and transportation came about. Twain even called Gutenburg (inventor of the printing press), Watt (improvements to the steam engine), Arkwright ( the spinning frame and water frame), Whitney ( milling and the cotton gin), Morse (the single wire telegraph system), Stephenson (steam locomotive and railway line), and Bell (telephone) “the creators of this world-after God.” This shows that Twain saw these gentleman as some of the smartest people in the world and the ones who truly created technology.