Fact Check: Did Mark Twain say 'God created war for Americans to learn geography'?

WASHINGTON, DC: As the conflict in the Middle East has intensified following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a claim has been circulating on social media that the famous American writer Mark Twain once said, “God created war so that Americans would learn geography.” Let us fact-check whether the late writer really said that.

Claim: Mark Twain said 'God created war so that Americans would learn geography'

The claim surfaced earlier this month following the US and Israel's joint attack against Iran, in which a user on Reddit posted a quote meme claiming American author Mark Twain once said or wrote, "God created war so that Americans would learn geography."

The quote with the attribution was later shared on other social media platforms such as Facebook, Threads, and X, garnering millions of views.

While many amplified the quote by attributing it to the author of ‘Tom Sawyer’, others remained skeptical and questioned its authenticity. 

Fact Check: The quote is falsely attributed to Mark Twain

However, netizens have incorrectly attributed the quote to the author, as there are no documents that record Twain saying or writing the quote.

In an email, Albinko Hasic, director of marketing for the Mark Twain House & Museum, told Snopes, “Based on the best source vetting we can point to, we are not aware of any reliable primary-source evidence that Mark Twain ever said or wrote: 'God created war so that Americans would learn geography.' In other words, we would not treat this as an authentic Twain quotation."

One quote about war from Twain's ‘The Mysterious Stranger’ reads, “Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception.”

Donald Trump claims the US has crippled Iran's military infrastructure

The claim surfaced as the conflict in the Middle East continues, and President Donald Trump recently said that the US has effectively dismantled Iran’s navy, air force, and communication systems following the military strikes.

Speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Florida, on Saturday, March 7, the commander-in-chief told leaders from 12 Western Hemisphere countries that US strikes had crippled key parts of Iran’s military infrastructure. 

The president said the US military had destroyed 42 Iranian navy ships during the past three days of attacks. “That was the end of the Navy,” Trump said. “We knocked out their air force, we knocked out their communications, and all telecommunications is gone.” 

“I don’t know how they communicate, but I guess they will figure something out too well,” he added.

As the conflict escalates, the US State Department said it has intensified efforts to evacuate Americans from the region.