Today in History, July 6: 1861 – Twenty-six year old Samuel Clemons, having followed his brother to the Nevada territory in search of adventure and riches, begins writing for Virginia City’s “Territorial Enterprise” newspaper under the pen name Mark Twain. He had searched for precious metals without success, and began writing to make money. He had spent time on the Mississippi River on river boats, which inspired his pen name. He went on to write in California, where he would begin his career in fiction. He would live to 1910.