Experts
David McCullough
Historian / Author
-
What would John Adams think of the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton succession?
Two generations does not a dynasty make. Read More
March 12, 2008 | In History, Politics & Policy
-
Adams was willing to suffer anything for a truly revolutionary ideal, McCullough says. Read More
March 12, 2008 | In History
-
Do Americans misunderstand the Founding Fathers?
We are raising a generation of historically illiterate Americans, McCullough says. Read More
March 12, 2008 | In History, Politics & Policy
-
Making the John Adams Mini-series
McCullough knew he was in good hands with Tom Hanks. Read More
March 12, 2008 | In Arts & Culture, History
-
The Greatest American Love Story
The letters of John and Abigail Adams lay bare their emotions. Read More
March 12, 2008 | In History, Love, Sex, & Happiness
-
What John Adams Would Say About the 2008 Elections?
We can't expect the system to work if we are ignorant, McCullough says. Read More
March 12, 2008 | In History, Politics & Policy
-
Does America today embody the spirit of the Declaration of Independence?
If the Founding Fathers came back today, they'd be amazed to see that the system still exists. Read More
March 12, 2008 | In History, Politics & Policy
-
Re: Do Americans understand the American Revolution?
Few of us understand the suffering that went into the Revolution. Read More
March 12, 2008 | In History
-
David McCullough: Pittsburgh to Pulitzer
New York made things happen. Read More
David McCullough is called the "citizen chronicler" by Librarian of Congress James Billington. His books have led a renaissance of interest in American history--from learning about a flood in Pennsylvania that without warning devastated an entire community to discovering the private achievements and frailties of an uncelebrated president. His biography of Harry Truman won him a Pulitzer, as did his most recent biography of another president, John Adams.
Meeting Thornton Wilder at Yale as an undergraduate inspired McCullough to become a writer--his first love, in fact, had been art. While at college he also met his wife, Rosalee. He learned his craft working at Sports Illustrated, at the United States Information Agency, and at American Heritage. McCullough researched and wrote his first book in the precious hours away from his job with American Heritage; The Johnstown Flood came out in 1968. It was a story and region familiar to McCullough, who was born and raised in nearby Pittsburgh. The book was a success and he became a full-time author.
Since then, McCullough has given us six more books--The Great Bridge, The Path between the Seas, Mornings on Horseback, Brave Companions, Truman, and John Adams--earning him two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and two Francis Parkman Prizes from the American Society of Historians. His other honors include a Charles Frankel Prize, a National Book Foundation Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Award, and a New York Public Library’s Literary Lion Award.
