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41-809: David Gaub McCullough ( / m ə ˈ k ʌ l ə / ; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian . He was a two-time winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award . In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom , the United States' highest civilian award. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, McCullough earned a degree in English literature from Yale University . His first book

82-466: A seven-part miniseries by the same name. Premiering in 2008, it starred Paul Giamatti in the title role. The DVD version of the miniseries includes the biographical documentary, David McCullough: Painting with Words . McCullough's 1776 tells the story of the founding year of the United States, focusing on George Washington , the amateur Continental Army , and other struggles for independence. Because of McCullough's popularity, its initial printing

123-487: A TV film and a miniseries , respectively. McCullough was born in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania, to Ruth (née Rankin; 1899–1985) and Christian Hax McCullough (1899–1989). He was of Scots-Irish , German, and English descent. He was educated at Linden Avenue Grade School and Shady Side Academy , in his hometown of Pittsburgh. One of four sons, McCullough had a "marvelous" childhood with

164-617: A book. It's like putting myself under a spell. And this spell, if you will, is so real to me that if I have to leave my work for a few days, I have to work myself back into the spell when I come back. It's almost like hypnosis. After the success of The Johnstown Flood , two new publishers offered him contracts, one to write about the Great Chicago Fire and another about the San Francisco earthquake . Simon & Schuster , publisher of his first book, also offered McCullough

205-641: A ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base , Alabama , on November 16, 2015, the Air University of the United States Air Force awarded McCullough an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree. He was also made an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa at Yale University in 2015. On May 11, 2016, McCullough received the United States Capitol Historical Society 's Freedom Award. It was presented in

246-423: A chronicle of one of the worst flood disasters in United States history, was published in 1968 to high praise by critics. John Leonard , of The New York Times , said of McCullough, "We have no better social historian." Despite rough financial times, he decided to become a full-time writer, encouraged by his wife Rosalee. People often ask me if I'm working on a book. That's not how I feel. I feel like I work in

287-416: A collection of essays that "unfold seamlessly". Written over twenty years, the book includes essays about Louis Agassiz , Alexander von Humboldt , John and Washington Roebling , Harriet Beecher Stowe , Conrad Richter , and Frederic Remington . With his next book, McCullough published his second biography, Truman (1993) about the 33rd president . The book won McCullough his first Pulitzer Prize , in

328-447: A contract to write a second book. Trying not to become "Bad News McCullough", he decided to write about a subject showing "people were not always foolish and inept or irresponsible." He remembered the words of his Yale teacher: "[Thornton] Wilder said he got the idea for a book or a play when he wanted to learn about something. Then, he'd check to see if anybody had already done it, and if they hadn't, he'd do it." McCullough decided to write

369-735: A history of the Brooklyn Bridge , which he had walked across many times. It was published in 1972. He also proposed, from a suggestion by his editor, a work about the Panama Canal ; both were accepted by the publisher. Five years later, The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870–1914 was released, gaining McCullough widespread recognition. The book won the National Book Award in History ,

410-517: A new medium for the dissemination of popular history, in which the contributions of Americans Dan Carlin and Robert Evans are notable. John Julius Norwich , Charles Allen , and Tariq Ali are popular British historians who have never been academics. English-Canadian writers of popular histories include journalists Pierre Berton and Peter C. Newman , humourist Will Ferguson , folklorist and pulp fiction writer Thomas P. Kelley , and television presenter Patrick Watson . François-Xavier Garneau

451-420: A position at American Heritage , McCullough "felt that [he] had reached the point where [he] could attempt something on [his] own." McCullough "had no anticipation that [he] was going to write history, but [he] stumbled upon a story that [he] thought was powerful, exciting, and very worth telling." While working at American Heritage , McCullough wrote in his spare time for three years. The Johnstown Flood ,

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492-474: A previous generation – Eric Hobsbawm , Paul Johnson , E. P. Thompson , A. J. P. Taylor (a pioneer of history on television) and Christopher Hill . Podcaster and pop history author Tom Holland , while not holding any formal qualifications in the field, does retain an academic affiliation. Much of Hugh Trevor-Roper 's output was also directed at a popular audience. There is also Stella Tillyard and her work Aristocrats , which combined scholarly research with

533-410: A series of documentaries with a tie-in book. Recent examples of American popular historians with academic affiliations include Daniel J. Boorstin , Stephen E. Ambrose , Doris Kearns Goodwin and Pauline Maier . Recent examples of British popular historians who are also academics include Niall Ferguson , Mary Beard , Christopher Hibbert , Simon Sebag Montefiore and Simon Schama , and – from

574-497: A time. In 1951, McCullough began attending Yale University . He said that it was a "privilege" to study English at Yale because of faculty members such as John O'Hara , John Hersey , Robert Penn Warren , and Brendan Gill . McCullough occasionally ate lunch with the Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist and playwright Thornton Wilder . Wilder, said McCullough, taught him that a competent writer maintains "an air of freedom" in

615-437: A wide range of interests, including sports and drawing cartoons. McCullough's parents and his grandmother, who read to him often, introduced him to books at an early age. His parents often talked about history, a topic he said should be discussed more often. McCullough "loved school, every day"; he contemplated many career choices, ranging from architect, actor, painter, writer, to lawyer, and considered attending medical school for

656-567: Is dead politicians." During the 2016 presidential election season, he broke with his custom to criticize Donald Trump , whom he called "a monstrous clown with a monstrous ego." McCullough taught a writing course at Wesleyan University and was a visiting scholar at Cornell University and Dartmouth College . After a period of failing health, McCullough died at his home in Hingham on August 7, 2022, just two months after his wife's death, at age 89. McCullough received numerous awards, including

697-433: Is proposed that popular history is a "moral science" in the sense that recreates the past not only for its own sake but also to underscore how history could facilitate an ethically responsible present. Some view it as history produced by authors who are better interlocutors capable of translating the language of scientificity to ordinary everyday language. Some scholars partly attributed the development of popular history to

738-768: The Los Angeles Times Book Prize , New York Public Library 's Literary Lion Award, and the St. Louis Literary Award from the Saint Louis University Library Associates, among others. McCullough was chosen to deliver the first annual John Hersey Lecture at Yale University on March 22, 1993. He was a member of the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and the Academy of Achievement . In 2003,

779-720: The National Endowment for the Humanities selected McCullough for the Jefferson Lecture , the U.S. federal government's highest honor for achievement in the humanities . McCullough's lecture was titled "The Course of Human Events". In 1995, McCullough received the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. The Helmerich Award is presented annually by the Tulsa Library Trust . McCullough

820-1009: The National Statuary Hall . In September 2016, McCullough received the Gerry Lenfest Spirit of the American Revolution Award from the Museum of the American Revolution . In 2017, McCullough was inducted into the DC Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and received the National Society SAR Good Citizenship Award. McCullough narrated many television shows and documentaries throughout his career. In addition to narrating

861-768: The Presidential Medal of Freedom in December 2006, the highest civilian award that a United States citizen can receive. In 1995, the National Book Foundation conferred its lifetime Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters . McCullough was awarded more than 40 honorary degrees, including one from the Eastern Nazarene College in John Adams ' hometown of Quincy, Massachusetts . McCullough received two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, two Francis Parkman Prizes,

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902-627: The U.S. Ambassador to France during the Franco-Prussian War , and Elizabeth Blackwell , the first female doctor in the United States. McCullough's The Wright Brothers was published in 2015. The Pioneers followed in 2019, the story of the first European American settlers of the Northwest Territory , a vast American wilderness to which the Ohio River was the gateway. In 1954, McCullough married Rosalee Barnes;

943-830: The 2003 film Seabiscuit , McCullough hosted PBS 's American Experience from 1988 to 1999. McCullough narrated numerous documentaries directed by Ken Burns , including the Emmy Award –winning The Civil War , the Academy Award –nominated Brooklyn Bridge , The Statue of Liberty , and The Congress . He served as a guest narrator for The Most Wonderful Time of the Year , a Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert special that aired on PBS in 2010. McCullough narrated, in whole or in part, several of his own audiobooks, including Truman , 1776 , The Greater Journey , and The Wright Brothers . Popular historian It

984-511: The Boston suburbs, achieved sudden fame in 2012, when he gave a commencement speech in which he repeatedly told graduating students that they were "not special"; his speech went viral on YouTube. Another son, Bill, is married to the daughter of former Florida governor Bob Graham . A registered independent , McCullough typically avoided publicly commenting on contemporary political issues. When asked to do so, he would repeatedly say, "My specialty

1025-610: The Most Devastating Disasters America Has Ever Known is a 1968 book written by popular historian David McCullough about the Great Flood of 1889 which devastated the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania . For this, his first book, McCullough spent time speaking with individuals who lived through the flood on top of his other research in preparation for writing. Upon its publication The Johnstown Flood rekindled national interest in

1066-916: The Samuel Eliot Morison Award, the Francis Parkman Prize , and the Cornelius Ryan Award . Later in 1977, McCullough travelled to the White House to advise Jimmy Carter and the United States Senate on the Torrijos-Carter Treaties , which would give Panama control of the Canal. Carter later said that the treaties, which were negotiated to transfer ownership of the Canal to Panama, would not have passed had it not been for

1107-572: The book. McCullough's fourth work was his first biography, reinforcing his belief that "history is the story of people". Released in 1981, Mornings on Horseback tells the story of seventeen years in the life of Theodore Roosevelt , the 26th President of the United States. The work ranged from Roosevelt's childhood to 1886, and tells of a "life intensely lived." The book won McCullough's second National Book Award and his first Los Angeles Times Prize for Biography and New York Public Library Literary Lion Award. Next, he published Brave Companions ,

1148-454: The category of "Best Biography or Autobiography", and his second Francis Parkman Prize. Two years later, the book was adapted as Truman (1995), a television film by HBO , starring Gary Sinise as Truman. I think it's important to remember that these men are not perfect. If they were marble gods, what they did wouldn't be so admirable. The more we see the founders as humans the more we can understand them. – David McCullough Working for

1189-642: The couple had first met as teenagers, and they remained together until her death on June 9, 2022. They had five children, nineteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. In 2016, the couple moved from the Back Bay of Boston to Hingham, Massachusetts ; three of his five children also lived there as of 2017. He had a summer home in Camden, Maine . McCullough's interests included sports, history, and visual art, including watercolor and portrait painting. His son, David Jr., an English teacher at Wellesley High School in

1230-924: The flood and was the catalyst to McCullough's accomplished career. Following the success of his book, McCullough decided to devote his time entirely toward writing. See also [ edit ] The Johnstown Flood (1989 film) References [ edit ] ^ "Johnstown Flood: McCullough's 'lucky break' launched career" . The Washington Times . March 24, 2018 . Retrieved 29 August 2018 . ^ "Achievement of Canal Captures Audience" . The Burlington Free Press . December 8, 1977 . Retrieved 29 August 2018 – via Newspapers.com . [REDACTED] External links [ edit ] Official Site at Simon & Schuster The Johnstown Flood from WorldCat v t e Works of David McCullough Books The Johnstown Flood (1968) The Great Bridge (1972) The Path Between

1271-638: The 💕 1968 book by David McCullough The Johnstown Flood: The Incredible Story Behind One of the Most Devastating Disasters America Has Ever Known [REDACTED] Author David McCullough Language English Subject Biography / U.S. History Genre Non-fiction Publisher Simon & Schuster Publication date 1968 Publication place U.S. Pages 302 ISBN 9780090874903 OCLC 36853 Followed by The Great Bridge (book)   The Johnstown Flood: The Incredible Story Behind One of

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1312-598: The increase of writers-turned-historians such as Benson Lossing , David Pae, and Mary Botham Howitt , who wrote historical events "in good style" and, thus, more appealing to the public. Some popular historians are without academic affiliation while others are academics, or former academics, who have (according to one writer) "become somehow abstracted from the academic arena, becoming cultural commentators." Many worked as journalists, perhaps after taking an initial degree in history. Popular historians may become nationally renowned or best-selling authors and may or may not serve

1353-545: The intention of becoming a fiction writer or playwright. He graduated with honors in English literature in 1955. After graduation, McCullough moved to New York City, where Sports Illustrated hired him as a trainee in 1956. He later worked as an editor and writer for the United States Information Agency in Washington, D.C. After working for twelve years in editing and writing, including

1394-569: The interests of particular political viewpoints in their roles as historians that write for a wide-ranging readership. Many authors of supposed official histories and authorized biographies would qualify as popular historians serving the interests of particular institutions or public figures. Popular historians aim to appear on the "general lists" of general publishers, rather than the university presses that have dominated academic publishing in recent years. Increasingly, popular historians have taken to television where they are able, often accompanying

1435-457: The next seven years, McCullough published John Adams (2001), his third biography about a United States president. One of the fastest-selling non-fiction books in history, the book won McCullough's second Pulitzer Prize for "Best Biography or Autobiography" in 2002. He started it as a book about the founding fathers and back-to-back presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson ; but dropped Jefferson to focus on Adams. HBO adapted John Adams as

1476-546: The popular method of presentation. Canadian academics whose work has crossed over to public consciousness are few. Examples might include Michael Bliss , Donald Creighton , Desmond Morton , J. L. Granatstein , or Margaret MacMillan . In French Canada the influence of Father Lionel Groulx in the historical thought of the twentieth century was preponderant. American non-academics include Walter Lord , Bruce Catton , Shelby Foote , David McCullough , Max Cutler , Ron Cutler , and Barbara W. Tuchman . Podcasting has become

1517-603: The storyline, so that a reader will not anticipate the outcome, even if the book is non-fiction. While at Yale, he became a member of Skull and Bones . He served apprenticeships at Time , Life , the United States Information Agency , and American Heritage , where he enjoyed research. He said: "Once I discovered the endless fascination of doing the research and of doing the writing, I knew I had found what I wanted to do in my life." While attending Yale, McCullough studied Arts and earned his bachelor's degree in English, with

1558-633: Was The Johnstown Flood (1968), and he wrote nine more on such topics as Harry S. Truman , John Adams , Theodore Roosevelt , the Brooklyn Bridge , the Panama Canal , and the Wright brothers . McCullough also narrated numerous documentaries, such as The Civil War by Ken Burns , as well as the 2003 film Seabiscuit , and he hosted the PBS television documentary series American Experience for twelve years. McCullough's two Pulitzer Prize–winning books— Truman and John Adams. —were adapted by HBO into

1599-800: Was 1.25 million copies, many more than the average history book. Upon its release, the book was a number one best-seller in the United States. A miniseries adaptation of 1776 was rumored. McCullough considered writing a sequel to 1776 . However, he signed a contract with Simon & Schuster to do a work about Americans in Paris between 1830 and 1900, The Greater Journey , which was published in 2011. The book covers 19th-century Americans, including Mark Twain and Samuel Morse , who migrated to Paris and went on to achieve importance in culture or innovation. Other subjects include Benjamin Silliman , who had been Morse's science teacher at Yale, Elihu Washburne ,

1640-464: Was referred to as a "master of the art of narrative history." The New York Times critic John Leonard wrote that McCullough was "incapable of writing a page of bad prose." His works have been published in ten languages, over nine million copies have been printed, and all of his books are still in print. In December 2012, Allegheny County , Pennsylvania announced that it would rename the 16th Street Bridge in Pittsburgh in honor of McCullough. In

1681-676: Was the leading historian in nineteenth century French Canada from outside the academy. Polemicists in the national unity debate have also written influentially about Canadian history, notably militant Pierre Vallières and journalist Normand Lester critiquing the Canadian state and novelist Mordecai Richler critiquing Quebec nationalist historians as anti-Semitic. Notably, Canada has produced several writers who have written popular histories of specific ethnic communities, including Ken McGoogan (Scots and Irish), Myrna Kostash (Ukrainians), etc. The Johnstown Flood (book) From Misplaced Pages,

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