Feb 18, Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published and became one of the writer's most famous works. Samuel Clemens, born in 1835, first used the pseudonym of Mark Twain when he wrote a humorous travel account in 1863. Books such as Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer made Mark Twain a popular American author because people could relate to his stories of boyhood adventures colored with social commentary. As a satirical, critical voice of the United States, Twain continued to write and lecture across the country and the world. Mark Twain died in 1910.

Actor George Kennedy is 88. Former Sen. John Warner, R-Va., is 86. Author Toni Morrison is 82. Movie director Milos (MEE-lohsh) Forman is 81. Singer Yoko Ono is 80. Singer-songwriter Bobby Hart is 74. Singer Irma Thomas is 72. Singer Herman Santiago (Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers) is 72. Singer Dennis DeYoung is 66. Actress Sinead Cusack is 65. Actress Cybill Shepherd is 63.