Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

newspapers. In the 1860s he started

writing under the name Mark Twain. In

1865 he published a story called “The

Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras

County.” It made him famous.

In the 1870s Twain settled with his family

in Hartford, Connecticut. There he

wrote his most famous books. He used

his experiences growing up on the Mississippi

River to write many of his stories.

His novel The Adventures of Tom

Sawyer (1876) is a story about a boy and

his friends in a small river town. The

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)

tells of a boy’s adventures as he floats

down the Mississippi on a raft. Huckleberry

Finn was his best book.

Late in life Twain lived mainly in

Europe with his family. He died in Redding,

Connecticut, on April 21, 1910.

Tyler, John

The 10th president of the United States,

John Tyler did not win a presidential

election. He took office after the death

of President William Henry Harrison in

1841.

Early Life

John Tyler was born on March 29,

1790, at Greenway, his family’s plantation

near Richmond, Virginia. He was

Mark Twain the son of Mary Armistead and John

122 Twain, Mark BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Tyler, Sr., a judge and former governor

of Virginia.

After graduating from the College of

William and Mary in 1807, Tyler

became a lawyer at age 19. He married

Letitia Christian in 1813. The couple

had eight children.

Political Career

Tyler entered the Virginia legislature in

1811. In 1816 he was elected to the

U.S. House of Representatives. He

served again in the Virginia legislature

before becoming governor of Virginia in

1825. Two years later he was elected to

the U.S. Senate, where he served until

1836.

Although Tyler was a Democrat, he disagreed

with Democratic president

Andrew Jackson. He and many Southern

Democrats joined the Whig Party.

In 1840 the Whigs chose Tyler to run

for vice president under Harrison. Harrison

and Tyler won the election.

Presidency

President Harrison died just one month

after taking office. He was the first president

to die in office, and the Constitution

did not say whether the vice

president should become president or

just act as president. Tyler decided that

he was president.

March 29, January 18,

1790 1825 1840 1841 1845 1861 1862

Tyler is

born near

Richmond,

Virginia.

Tyler becomes

governor of

Virginia.

Tyler is

elected

vice president

under William

Henry

Harrison.

Tyler becomes

president after

Harrison dies.

Tyler leaves

office.

Tyler wins a

seat in the

Confederate

Congress.

Tyler dies in

Richmond,

Virgina.

T I M E L I N E

John Tyler was the 10th president of the

United States.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Tyler, John 123

 

Neither the Whigs nor the Democrats

supported Tyler. Still, he led Congress to

reorganize the Navy and to establish the

Weather Bureau. He ended an expensive

war against the Seminole people in

Florida. He also helped to stop a rebellion

against the state government of

Rhode Island in 1842. Finally, Tyler got

Congress to agree to take over the

Republic of Texas.

Tyler’s wife died in 1842. In 1844 Tyler

married Julia Gardiner. They had seven

children.

Later Years

For the presidential election of 1844

Tyler created his own political party, but

he soon dropped out of the race. He left

office in 1845.

Tyler was a slave owner, but before the

American Civil War (1861–65) he

wanted to keep the Union together.

When the war began, however, he

supported the South and was elected to

the Confederate House of Representatives.

Before taking office, he died in

Richmond on January 18, 1862.

#More to explore

Confederate States of America

• Harrison,William Henry • Jackson,

Andrew • United States

Typhoid Fever

Typhoid fever is a serious disease. It is

rare in wealthy countries but common

in poor ones. People with the disease

usually have a high fever for many days.

Other symptoms, or signs, of typhoid

fever include headache, stomach pain,

and weakness. A rash of rosy spots also

may appear on the body.

Tiny living things called bacteria cause

typhoid fever. The type of bacteria that

causes the disease lives only in humans.

It travels in the blood and attacks the

intestines. It passes from person to person

through water or food.

Typhoid fever may be prevented by

keeping water supplies clean.Washing

the hands before preparing food is

important, too. People also may get a

typhoid fever vaccine (a substance that

prevents the disease) from a doctor or a

nurse. People who do get the disease need

to be treated with drugs called antibiotics.

People who are not treated may die.

In the early 1900s a cook called Mary

Mallon spread typhoid fever to at least

51 people in the United States. She carried

the bacteria but did not get the disease.

She passed the bacteria to people

through food that she prepared. Mallon’s

actions earned her the nickname

Typhoid Mary.

#More to explore

Bacteria • Disease, Human

Typhus

Typhus is the name of several diseases

caused by tiny living things called bacteria.

The symptoms of typhus include

headache, fever, and rash. Lice, fleas,

mites, and ticks carry the types of bacteria

that cause typhus. These bloodsuckers

pass the bacteria to humans.

Tyler’s enemies

called him

“His Accidency.”

They

did not want