HISTORY HISTORY Classroom
TV Shows This Day In History Videos Games Shop
The National History Bee
Sign Up for The National History Bee Middle School Competition Now--$50,000 Grand Prize Scholarship
Pearl Harbor: 24 Hours After, Wednesday, December 7th at 8/7c
Super City: New York, Thursday, December 8th at 4/3c
How the Earth Was Made, Tuesday, December 13th at 4/3c
National History Teacher of the Year Award: Nominate a Teacher to win $10,000
Sacrifice for Freedom-National History Day Student/Teacher Summer Institute sponsored by Albert H. Small
Sign Up for The National History Bee Middle School
Competition Now--$50,000 Grand Prize Scholarship

We are delighted to announce that beginning this school year, students in grades 6-8 across the USA can compete in the all-new National History Bee Middle School Competition! The National History Bee is an academic quiz tournament that promotes history education in a fun and exciting way. Students have the opportunity to win a trip to Washington, DC and compete for the $50,000 Grand Prize Scholarship at the National Championship, which will air on HISTORY. Visit http://www.ms.historybee.com to register, view official contest rules, and find answers to FAQs.

Sign up today!
Pearl Harbor: 24 Hours After
Wednesday, December 7th at 8/7c


Although December 7 will forever be remembered as the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, little has been revealed about President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first responses to the news of Japan's attack on U.S. soil on that day in 1941. HISTORY® marks the 70th anniversary of that pivotal moment in world history with this 2-hour special spotlighting secrets and little-known details about FDR's reactions in the earliest hours of the "date which will live in infamy." Pearl Harbor: 24 Hours After offers a rare glimpse at the man behind the Presidency and how he confronted the enormous challenge of transitioning the United States from peacetime to war.

Leading historians, including Steve Gillon (author of the recently released book Pearl Harbor: FDR Leads the Nation Into War) provide insights into the costs and consequences of these events in which thousands of Americans lost their lives. This dramatic 2-hour program also discusses the treatment of Japanese Americans in the wake of the attack. Students will learn about the context in which the U.S. entered World War II, and will be able to explore FDR's Presidency and leadership during this tumultuous era in world history.

Curriculum Links:
Pearl Harbor: 24 Hours After would be useful for History, Global Studies and Politics courses and for course units and lectures on World War II. It is appropriate for middle school and high school students.

Read more about Pearl Harbor and watch short videos
Super City: New York
Thursday, December 8th at 4/3c


In 1609, an English explorer working for a Dutch trading company sailed into one of the best natural harbors in the world. Within 300 years, the island in the middle of that harbor had grown into one of the greatest cities in the world -- New York City. Super City: New York takes a journey back in time and space to recreate a view of the Manhattan of 1609. Throughout the program, experts describe the ways New York Harbor and the Hudson River helped provide the foundation for what would become the commercial center of the United States.

Educators and students will learn how the terrain of Manhattan was flattened and sectioned off during the 18th and 19th Centuries, and how landfill expanded Manhattan's shoreline. This program travels through the 20th century as historians and engineers describe how the city's highest skyscrapers and deepest tunnels were built. Super City: New York would be useful for course units and lectures which touch upon the early colonies, urban history, and the Industrial Revolution.

Curriculum Links:
Super City: New York is appropriate for middle school and high school students. It would be useful for History, Science, Astronomy, Social Studies courses and courses with units on urban studies or ecology.

Read more and watch videos about New York history
How the Earth Was Made
Tuesday, December 13th at 4/3c


The Earth's 4.5-billion-year history is marked by extreme environments and tremendous catastrophes. Yet this changing world of fire, ice, raging seas, and toxic skies is the only known home for human life in our vast and distant universe. From the barren glaciers of Iceland and the breathtaking heights of the Matterhorn, to the rocky shores of Australia and the depths of the Hawaiian ocean, How the Earth Was Made takes an incredible journey around the globe. This 90-minute documentary begins nearly 5 billion years ago and narrates the major changes in the Earth's transformation. Insightful commentators, including historians and scientists, describe the unique challenges the human species may face in both the near and distant future. This program offers students powerful images and graphics to help them visualize how the Earth has changed over time and how scientists predict the changes that may lie ahead.

Curriculum Links:
How the Earth Was Made is appropriate for middle and high school students. It will connect with a variety of courses including Social Studies, Geography, Science and Technology, and Earth Sciences.

Teacher's Guide:
http://www.history.com/images/media/pdf/How_the_Earth_Was_Made_SG.pdf
National History Teacher of the Year Award: Nominate a Teacher to win $10,000

Do you know an outstanding American history teacher?

The National History Teacher of the Year Award recognizes outstanding American history teachers from elementary school through high school, and the crucial importance of American history education. The award is sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute, Preserve America, and HISTORY (The History Channel).

• National winner receives a $10,000 prize presented at an award ceremony.
• State winners receive a $1,000 prize and an archive of classroom resources.
• Nominations are open year round for grades K-12 .*

*To be considered for the 2012 award, Middle and High School teachers must be nominated by February 1, 2012.

State winners are selected from each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and U.S. Territories. From these finalists, one honoree is recognized as the National History Teacher of the Year. In 2012, the Gilder Lehrman Institute will honor grade 7-12 teachers. Elementary school teachers of grades K-6 are honored every other year. Go to http://www.gilderlehrman.org/nhtoy
Sacrifice for Freedom-National History Day
Student/Teacher Summer Institute sponsored by Albert H. Small


We have extended the deadline for applications for the Normandy Scholar's Institute to December 7 (Pearl Harbor day). During the institute, teachers and students will read books about WWII and participate in online discussions before traveling to Washington, DC in June. Students will select a service man or woman from their state who lost his or her life in Normandy. The student and teacher will work with a research mentor to conduct primary source research on their soldier's life.

After several days of seeing WWII-related sites in Washington and listening to lectures by professors from The George Washington University, participants will journey to Normandy. After seeing the invasion beaches and other sites, students will deliver a eulogy in front of their soldier's grave. If you are interested in applying for this summer institute, please send in an application on our website at: http://www.nhd.org/normandyinstitute.htm