National History Day
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| Abbreviation | NHD |
|---|---|
| Motto | It's more than a day, it's an Experience. |
| Formation | 1974 |
| Type | Nonprofit Organization |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | To promote the study and appreciation of history among students. |
| Headquarters | University of Maryland, College Park |
| Location |
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Region served
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United States of America |
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Membership
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500,000 students, 30,000 teachers per year |
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Official language
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English |
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Executive Director
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Dr. Cathy Gorn |
| Affiliations | American Association for State and Local History, American Historical Association, Federation of State Humanities Councils, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Center for History in the Schools, National Council for History Education, National Council for the Social Studies, Organization of American Historians, Society of American Archivists |
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Staff
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10 |
| Website | www |
National History Day is non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland that operates an annual project-based contest for students in grades 6-12. It has affiliates in all fifty states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, South Korea, China, South Asia, and Central America. It started as a local program in Cleveland, Ohio, headed by Dr. David Van Tassell, a history professor at Case Western Reserve University. It grew from 129 students in 1974 to over 500,000 students in 48 states in 1991, and 700,000 students and 40,000 teachers in 2001. Today more than half a million students enter through local contests. They construct entries as an individual or a group in one of five categories: Documentary, Exhibit, Paper, Performance or Website. Students then compete in a series of regional contests with top entries advancing to state/affiliate contests. The top two entries in each category and division are invited to compete at the National Contest.
The contest started in Cleveland in 1974. Members of the History Department at Case Western Reserve University developed the initial idea for a history contest akin to Science Fair. Students gathered on campus to devote one day to history calling it "National History Day." Over the next few years, the contest expanded throughout Ohio and into surrounding Midwestern states. By 1980, with the help of the National Endowment for the Humanities, National History Day had grown into a national non-profit organization and in 1992 National History Day moved its headquarters from Cleveland to the Washington, D.C., area. National History Day now runs multiple educational programs but the National Contest is still the largest of these. The national finals take place each June during a week-long event held at the University of Maryland, College Park.
The annual theme is usually a phrase ending with "in history" and is often an alliteration, such as, "Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History." The theme frames students’ research within a historical theme. The theme is chosen for the broad application to world, national, or state history and its relevance to ancient history or to the more recent past. The 2017 theme is Taking a Stand in History and the 2018 theme will be Conflict and Compromise in History. "The intentional selection of the theme for the National History Day Contest is to provide an opportunity for students to push past the antiquated view of history as mere facts and dates and drill down into historical content to develop perspective and understanding." Themes are rotated each year and prior themes are often used after approximately seven years.
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