and while i was at the library of congress, i ran across photographs taken in johnstown, pennsylvania, right after the disaster and i had grown up in that part of the pennsylvania and i looked at it, my god, i had no idea that this terrible destruction happened. over 2,500 people killed. what caused it? what happened? what went wrong? i took a book out of the library. it wasn't very good. i at least new the geography of pennsylvania, obviously, the author didn't. i took another book out of the library and it was even worse. and so i thought to myself, because of something that one of my professors at yale thornton wilder had said about how he got the ideas for his book, which was i try to imagine a story i'd like to see in a novel or i'd see performed on a stage and if nobody has written it i write it so i can see it performed on stage so i thought to myself, why don't you try the book about writing the book about the johnstown flood that you wish you could -- you were able to read. and every one of my books has been exactly that. i'm trying to write the book about this subject that i

that the building of the panama canal, the brooklyn bridge and also a historic tragedies like the johnstown flood. david mccullough is our season chronicler. his latest book is the greater journey, americans in paris. the 19th century story of americans turning back across the atlantic to discover the science, the art and learning of the old world, even at a time when other americans were churning physically to this specifics to discover national resources, national beauty of challenges of the american frontier. america was opening up a new world physically in the west while in reaching itself culturally and intellectually in the great city of lights and the journey eastward across the sea. ladies and gentlemen, david mccullough came into my office two days after the first national book festival to say how important it was to continue to do this kind of event nationally and he offered to help in any way he could. one day after that came, the unspeakable tragedy of 9/11, one of the darkest days and all the narrative of our national life. but he came back next year to get the final talk at th

like the building of the panama canal, the brooklyn bridge, and also historic tragedies like the johnstown flood. the latest book is "the greater journey: americans in paris," the 19th century story of americans going across the atlantic to learn about the old world even at a time when other americans were journeying physically through the pacific to discover the natural resources, challenges, and beauty of the new frontier. they enriched themselves culturally and intellectually and the great city of light in the journey eastward across the sea. ladies and gentlemen, david mccullough came into my office two days after the first national book festival to say how important it was to continue to do this kind of event nationally, and he offered to help in any way that he could. one day after that came, the unspeakable tragedy of 9/11, one of the darkest days in along the narrative of our national life. he came back the next year to give the final talk at the book festival a year later, and he ended it in a way we'll not forget. some will argue he suggested that you have to regulate what people

. >> we talked to the johnstown police department and they agreed that this officer did act appropriately in this situation. >> this is not a good idea. >> okay. >> this kid just got guns pointed at him over these. >> you guys know me for a while now, you know that nothing makes me mad, that burns me up more than spelling mistakes. like, this youtube video. look. >> what's wrong? >> grammar is spelled incorrectly. y y-o y-o-u-r is your. >> he doesn't anyone necessarily have a problem with the mistakes, but he has a problem with the people who correct them. >> but you point out these mistakes and then you correct it? to what it should be? you're implying that you know what i meant. because how could you know what you would change it to, if you didn't know what i meant. now it seems that the thing that is hindering our communication is you being an [ bleep ] hole. because when i right your a good person, and you correct the your to a you're, you miss one other thing, which is that you're an [ bleep ] hole. >> next time you're talking with someone and they say, there's a tree, say to them, o

and up near johnstown, pa. not too far from cumberland, a few flurries. but not much expected here. a lot of it is going to pass to the north. still above freezing. but the dew point is quite low. any precip tonight is going to take a while to reach the ground. even though radar may be showing it. 31 in oakland. oakland will see a little snow tonight. and again, friday night, into saturday. that's when we expect the main area of low pressure to affect our region. 34 in hagerstown. 39 still. kind of mild over in washington. and 34 in westminster. and in bel air. these areas north of the city, boy saturday morning. that's where we could see a little more extended period of some freezing rain, after we see a period of some snow. we'll talk about that in just a minute. 40 in annapolis. and 40 in kent island now. two systems. the first coming in late tonight, with that front. maybe a few snow showers. the bulk of is it passing to ohio. we're on the southern fringe of it. we might see a few snow showers later tonight. although at this point, it doesn't seem too like -- likely. but there's

raymond is in johnstown, pennsylvania, who is opposed to the pipeline.go ahead, ray. >> caller: yes, good afternoon. i have a question. mr. boehner was just on tv. he's in favor of the pipeline, but he don't tell you how safe the pipeline is. if the american people would watch chris matthews' show, ed schultz's show and get some information, listening to specialists in those areas where it's going to go through, it's going to harm waterways, farm land. it also was noted on tv that the pipeline is unsafe. the crude oil that's coming down from canada is thick as peanut butter. it's noted that it needs heated up to make it flow through the pipes and also they said the pipes are unsafe. >> host: raymond thanks for your call. one more call from david, in shepherd, texas, who's a supporter of the pipeline. how >> caller: how are you doing? >> host:. caller: i have a son that works in a refinery as well. i used to work in a refinery. i was a electrician for 30 years. we had refineries down around these parts for years. and there's been no, you know, severe dama