An acclaimed historian reveals the human pulse behind America's past.

Explore how David McCullough connects writing, research, and storytelling to the lives that shaped American history. Through his reflections on books, biography, perseverance, and gratitude, the series turns familiar events into vivid human drama. Sign up to see history through the curiosity and craft of a master narrator.

Episode guide

5 episodes

1Birth Of A Storyteller

Pulitzer prize-winning historian David McCullough describes how a love of childhood books, a fascination with the paintings of N.C. Wyeth, and a lively Scots-Irish family inspired his storytelling gifts.

4 min

2The Men Who Made America

There was no guarantee that the American Revolution would succeed, recounts Pulitzer prize-winning historian David McCullough, and Americans of today should give thanks to the extraordinary ancestors who changed the course of history.

4 min

3Truman: The Accidental President

At every stage of Harry Truman's life, explains Pulitzer prize-winning historian David McCullough , the man from Missouri was faced with challenges that seemed beyond his capabilities.

5 min

4The Writer's Life

Pulitzer prize-winning historian David McCullough loves the detective hunt of uncovering people from the past; there is no better way to get to know someone than to read their mail!

3 min

5The Wright Brothers

Pulitzer prize-winning historian David McCullough explores how the Wright Brothers achieved the impossible -- and did it without formal education, government support or powerful friends.

4 min

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