"I know there IS a new planet. I know it because I don't perturbate for
nothing" -- Mark Twain, 1909


1905 Lowell starts looking for another planet, generically named "Planet X."

1909 Twain publishes a new planet definitely exists, he feeling actual
perturbations to this effect.

1916 Lowell dies, the search for the new planet stops, Planet X not found
(yet).

1929, after a 13 year legal battle with Lowell's wife (who wanted all of the
money from the estate for herself rather than adhere to the will --which
stated some money was to be used to keep searching for "Planet X"),
Lowell's family hires Tombaugh to continue Lowell's work (searching for
"Planet X").

1930 Using Lowell's postulation as well as his money,  Tombaugh gets
extraordinarily lucky and observes the new planet at the LOWELL Observatory.

I checked with an expert at NASA, and indeed the alleged perturbations DID
end up leading to the  "discovery" of Pluto, it just took some time.   If
this weren't enough, Pluto ("Mark Twain's Planet") is the most
scientifically mysterious of all the planets.

As per usual, Twain was ahead of his time (21 years in this case), and in
more ways than one. It seems likely he was also the first person to use the
word "perturbate" in print. Perhaps someone with access to an up to date
Oxford dictionary could check this out?

Bob