Your challenge is to select a topic that is signifcant in history, that connects to the annual theme, and that

interests you. A good topic is narrow enough for you to dive deeply into research materials, analyze your findings, and develop a strong historical argument. You will research this topic for many weeks or months, so it

must hold your interest.

A good topic will have many sources written by historians, as well as sources created at the time the events

occurred. Time needs to pass before historians feel a topic is complete enough to understand what happened,

what led to it, and why it matters. Current events are not good topics for NHD projects, but your questions about

current events may lead you to similar examples in history that also interest you. For example, Greta Thunberg’s

activism would not be a good topic for NHD because historians cannot yet understand its historical significance.

However, an interest in Greta Thunberg might lead you to explore the early environmental movement. You might

choose to explore an influential leader or a movement with parallels to today’s events. For instance, you might

look at how Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring inspired the environmental movement of the 1960s or how John Muir’s

conservation work led to the creation of national parks in the United States.