[2][7] His mother emigrated from the Soviet Union following the loosening of the policy on Jewish migration under Leonid Brezhnev, while his father worked as a college professor in Virginia.

[6] They met when they were both teachers in the Defense Language Institute's Russian Department at Lackland Air Force Base, close to San Antonio.

[7] While growing up, Pruitt was a reader of classical literature and mystery stories by Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh.

[8] He attended the College of William & Mary, where he sang as part of a choir,[6] and he graduated in 2006 with a degree in art history.

[2][5][8] His first Wikipedia article was about his great-great-grandfather,[11] Peter Francisco, a Portuguese-born American Revolutionary War hero known as the "Virginia Hercules".

[2] According to Northern Virginia Magazine, Pruitt has not literally pressed the "edit" button 4.4 million times.

One method he has used to achieve his astonishing numbers is a software tool that allows a user to make numerous identical edits simultaneously.

In the interview, Pruitt described the first article he worked on about Francisco,[7] as well as his commitment to help boost Wikipedia's coverage of notable women.

[3] Pruitt's focus on women artists, composers, and historical figures reflects his interest in shedding light on lesser-known and often overlooked subjects.