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Visit these sites for official participation information

• National History Day
• Maryland History Day
• Contest rule book

Important dates to remember

• Howard County History Day (virtual competition): March 13, 2021
• Maryland History Day (virtual competition): May 1, 2021
• National History Day competition at the University of Maryland College Park: June 13-17, 2021

HCLS online tools featuring primary sources

American Periodicals: Search more than 1,500 magazines and journals published between 1740 and 1940 on topics including general interest, scholarly research, and professional/trade news.

Archives Unbound: Search primary source materials related to Maryland history, such as Maryland’s city and business directories from 1752-1929, letters and reports from the War of 1812, and Confederate newspapers.

Baltimore Afro-American Archives (1893 – 1988): Often called The Afro, this weekly newspaper was the most widely circulated African American paper on the Atlantic coast. It was the first black newspaper to have correspondents reporting on World War II as well as foreign correspondents and female sports correspondents.

Baltimore Sun Archives (1837 – 1993)

Indigenous Peoples of North America: Find short films, photos, newspaper articles, manuscripts, and much more about Native Americans.

Liberty Magazine (1924-1950): This once-popular weekly U.S. magazine featured guest articles by some of the biggest politicians, celebrities, authors, and artists of the 20th Century.

Life Magazine Archive (1936 – 2000): Life was a popular photojournalism magazine featuring story-telling through documentary photographs and informative captions, providing subscribers with intimate views of real people and their real life situations.

National Geographic Virtual Library: Includes National Geographic magazine from 1888 to the present as well as recent issues of National Geographic Traveler.

New York Times Archives: Search back issues of The New York Times from 1851 – 2015.

Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers: Features urban and rural papers throughout America in the 1800s, with an emphasis on topics such as the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration, and Antebellum-era life.

Smithsonian Collections Online: Includes back issues of Smithsonian and Air & Space magazines from 1970 – 2010, as well as the most recent issues.

Time Magazine Archive (1923 – 2000): Each issue of this prominent weekly magazine was intended to be read in under an hour. Time featured current events, politics, sports, and entertainment news and is an important resource for researchers studying 20th-Century history.

​HoCoCast interview with Addie Skillman, Howard High School student and first place winner at the 2019 National History Day competition for her Junior Individual Performance:

HCLS History Day classes

Assigned a National History Day project? Our research experts teach you their tips and tools. Meet history day judges, and learn strategies to locate sources. Ages 11-17, with parent.