This Week on History Happy Hour: National History Day! Since 1974, National History Day has been inspiring students to study history, whether public, private, parochial, charter, or homeschool. Today, the nonprofit organization reaches over 500,000 students every year who conduct historical research to discover the past, understand the present, and be the future.

For more than 50 years, high school and middle school students across the country have created historical research projects to compete in a nationwide contest. This year half a million students took part. But National History Day lost all its federal funding this year. Will it be able to continue?

Today Chris and Rick interview some of the students who won this year, and talk with NHD Executive Director Cathy Gorn about the future of this important institution.

Dr. Cathy Gorn joined National History Day in 1982, the same year she received her BA in English from Kent State. She also earned a PHD from Case Western Reserve in 1992. Her publications on teaching history to young people have appeared in several professional journals. In addition, Dr. Gorn contributed to and served as editor for more than 40 curriculum guides and projects for National History Day. She currently serves on the White House Historical Association Education Committee and the National Capital Radio & Television Museum Board of Trustees.

Student Guests: Winners from the 2025 NHD Contest

Theme: "Rights and Responsibilities in History"

Alekha Goldberg, Junior Individual Exhibit, First Place Affiliate: CaliforniaProject title: "Returning Blue Lake: The Confluence of Rights, Responsibilities and Social Justice" Corrado Naples, Yianni Gountis, Nathan Thomas; Junior Group Performance; Second Place Affiliate: Ohio Project title: Pieces of the Parthenon: How the Elgin Marbles Carved Controversy Between the Rights and Responsibilities of Cultural Artifacts Ke‘ilani Kajiyama Moses, Senior Individual Performance, First Place Affiliate: Hawai‘i Project title: Defending Rights, Embracing Responsibility: Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga’s Pursuit of Justice for Japanese Internees Lillian Tao, Senior Group Website; First Place Affiliate: Hawai‘i Project title: The Thalidomide Tragedy: The Importance of Manufacturing Responsibility, Consumer Safety, and the Birth of Modern Drug Regulation and Consumer Rights