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 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 had n't , he 'd do it . " McCullough decided to write a history of the Brooklyn Bridge , which he had walked across many times
San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
David McCullough