Summary
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and writer David McCullough, who died earlier this month at the age of 89, was perhaps best known for his biographies of two often overlooked presidents: John Adams and Harry Truman. But his interests ranged far and wide, including in the arts. In this excerpt of a 2011 interview with NewsHour's Jeffrey Brown, McCullough reflects on his love of research and discovery. For a transcript of the story, click here .Five Facts
- Who was David McCullough, and what was he best known for?
- What are the topics of some of his most famous books?
- Why did McCullough love the process of "research and discovery" according to this interview?
- How did most Americans come to know McCullough?
- Why does McCullough, a historian, say learning to paint was very important to him?
Focus Questions
What do you think McCullough means in the following quote? Why do you think the shift in focus McCullough describes might be important? What other aspects of the human experience do you think are too often left out of history?I have felt for a very long time that history is more than politics and the military and social issues. Yes, it is politics and the military and social issues, but it's also art and music and architecture and ideas and science and medicine. It's the works. It's human.Media literacy: Why do you think this memorial focused on the topics covered in the interview and not other aspects of McCullough's life and career?
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