On this day, January 21, in 1789, the novel The Power of Sympathy: or, The Triumph of Nature was published in Boston, Massachusetts. Written by William Hill Brown, this cautionary tale about giving in to one’s passions and an argument for using the rational mind when making decisions is considered the first novel ever published in the United States. Although it is a work of fiction, it was based on a well known New England scandal involving seduction, suicide and the lack of punishment for misdeeds.
