On this day in 1964, Dan Brown, author of the international blockbuster “The Da Vinci Code” as well as other best-selling thrillers, is born in New Hampshire. Brown’s extensively researched novels are known for involving symbols, conspiracies and secret societies.
The three books initially met with modest commercial success and Brown remained a little-known author until the 2003 debut of his fourth novel, “The Da Vinci Code,” which became one of the world’s top-selling novels. The book, which has been translated into more than 40 languages, follows Langdon and police cryptologist Sophie Neveu as they investigate the murder of a Louvre museum curator. The plot also involves hidden messages in Leonardo Da Vinci’s art, the fabled Holy Grail, and the theory that Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene and the Roman Catholic Church later covered it up.
Highly anticipated by fans, Brown’s fifth novel, “The Lost Symbol,” which is set in Washington, D.C., and again features Robert Langdon, debuted in 2009. Its first-day sales topped more than 1 million copies.
