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NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2016
National History Day 2016 Theme:
Exploration, Encounter, Exchange
in History
N
Adrienne Harkness, Contest Manager, National History Day
Lynne M. O’Hara, Director of Programs, National History Day
ational History Day welcomes you to explore the theme, Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History, during the 20152016 academic year. This theme is broad enough in scope to encourage investigation of topics ranging from local to
world history and across any geographic area or time period. Consider this theme an invitation to look across time, space, and
geography to find examples in history of when people took a risk and made a change.
You can begin brainstorming for possible topics by thinking about subjects you are interested in, whether it is science, sports,
art, travel, culture, or even specific people. Make note of any areas of interest, creating a list of possible subjects. Talking with
your classmates, teachers, and parents about your list can help you narrow down your selection. Throughout this process, keep
in mind that your topic must relate to Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History and must be historical, not a current event.
A million ideas flood your mind when you think about exploration, encounter, and exchange, especially because they can mean
many different things. So let us first look at them one at a time.
E
Exploration
xploration likely conjures up visions of travelers setting out on a journey to discover new lands. Consider the voyages of
Vasco da Gama, Hernán Cortéz, or Ferdinand Magellan. Certainly we can see this in Christopher Columbus’ attempt to find
a quicker sea route to the Indies, where spices and other desired goods could be found and then sold back in Europe. Of course,
we know that while the original goal of that exploration was not achieved, Columbus and his party did succeed in transforming
the Americas, Europe, and Africa forever. Can you think of other examples where exploration led to unforeseen consequences?
Exploration also can be examined in the field of science. Researchers are constantly undertaking scientific explorations to find
new medications or possible cures for diseases such as cancer. How did Jonas Salk’s exploration into a vaccine for polio lead
to better industry standards in producing vaccines? How did the work of Francis Watson and James Crick in exploring the
structure of DNA lead to cracking the code of the human genome? Consider Sigmund Freud’s exploration of psychoanalysis and
the developments