The History Channel(R) Offers Live Worldwide Webcast Featuring National History Day Awards Ceremony

The History Channel(R) Offers Live Worldwide Webcast Featuring National History Day Awards Ceremony

Loved Ones Across the Globe, Including Military Personnel Serving in Iraq, Can Watch As Middle and High School Students Reach Their Dream of a National Award After Year Long Competition

NEW YORK, June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The History Channel(R) will offer a live webcast to give families, friends, and schools in the U.S. and around the world the opportunity to watch as middle and high school students "go for the gold" at the 25th National History Day Awards Ceremony on Thursday, June 16th at the University of Maryland in College Park.

The History Channel Web site will showcase the Awards Ceremony of National History Day during a LIVE Webcast on http://www.history.com/ Thursday, June 16 from 8:30 am to 12:30 p.m. ET/PT.

The History Channel, a leading sponsor of National History Day, provides $20,000 in cash prizes to four winning senior student projects as well as the Outstanding History Educator Award to a teacher who has made exceptional contributions to history education.

"This year's National History Day theme of 'Communication in History: The Key to Understanding' has inspired projects ranging from the Navajo Code Talkers to Space Satellite Communication to the Pony Express. We think it's fitting that the 25th National History Day awards ceremony be available globally through our ability to communicate by webcast," said Dr. Libby O'Connell, Chief Historian, The History Channel. "We salute all the finalists and their teachers for their dedication, impressive work and love of history."

Last year, Dennis Turriff watched as his son, Robbie, paraded into the University of Maryland's Cole Field House as part of the Maryland delegation during the final ceremonies. However, Dennis was not watching from Cole Field House or even from the United States; he was watching from a combat zone in Iraq. Dennis was able to view The History Channel live Webcast of the NHD Awards Ceremony on a computer while serving in the U.S. Air Force in Iraq.

"It was surreal watching Robbie while in a combat zone. I was in the process of contributing to history and he was being recognized for a project in history," Captain Dennis Turriff said.

National History Day is not just one day, but a yearlong education organization that makes history come alive through educator professional development and active student learning. Through publications and education programs, National History Day trains teachers to move students beyond textbooks and expand their classrooms to include libraries, museums and archives. Nationwide 40,000 teachers currently use National History Day curriculum materials. The program is having a profound impact on education and received the Charles Frankel Prize for Public Programming from the National Endowment for the Humanities. 2005 marks the 25th anniversary of the National History Day organization. For more information on NHD go to http://www.nhd.org/.

Now reaching more than 88 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel(R), "Where the Past Comes Alive(R)," brings history to life in a powerful manner and provides an inviting place where people experience history personally and connect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past. In 2004, The History Channel received five News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and previously received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's "Save Our History(R)" campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel web site is located at http://www.historychannel.com/.

Source: The History Channel

CONTACT: Susan Raisch for The History Channel, +1-718-667-5576,
sraisch@verizon.net; or Mark Robinson for National History Day,
+1-301-314-9542, mark@nhd.org

Web site: http://www.historychannel.com/
http://www.nhd.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information and photo opportunity please visit us on the web at http://www.historychannel.com

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