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.

Watch the video above to learn more, and then answer the discussion questions in the upper-right corner of this page.

This lesson was originally posted here on PBS NewsHour Classroom on August 22, 2022. Check out more resources at NewsHour Classroom.