Suggested Topics
The examples below offer a starting point for students and teachers to brainstorm about topics relating to this year's National History Day (NHD) theme, "Innovation in History: Impact and Change." Choosing one of these suggestions will not increase or decrease a student's chances of doing well at a National History Day contest.
Although students can select a topic that addresses any time or place in history, excellent research subjects often are found by investigating one's local history. Staff at the Florida State Archives have identified resources in their online collection that relate to many of the suggested Florida topics. Go to http://www.floridamemory.com/OnlineClassroom to investigate these primary sources.
Interpreting the Theme
Before choosing a topic, students should read NHD's discussion about ways in which "innovation in history" can be interpreted (http://nhd.org/AnnualTheme.htm). NHD states that innovation "suggests creative new approaches to any facet of life.. . . [It] involves some sort of change, but not all changes are innovations. As students select their topics, they need to ask themselves . . . What is it about the topic that is new and different, and is also the result of human ideas or actions?"1
Students should remember to satisfy the entire theme by including the "in history" part of the project. It is not enough simply to describe the innovative object, idea, or event. They also must place their topic into historical context and describe why it was important or significant. Historical context refers to the social, political, economic, or cultural environment that allowed the situation to arise and occur. In other words, why did it happen? Historical significance relates to the effects or results of the innovation. NHD states, "Without historical context, it is impossible for students to analyze the impact of an innovation."2
How Old is Old?
Students may wish to select as a topic an interesting innovation that has been momentous in their lifetime—for example, the impact of online social networking such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. However, the long-term impact of such recent innovations is not yet fully known. NHD states, "The general rule of thumb is, don't choose a topic less than twenty-five years [old] or until one generation has passed. Time gives historical perspective."3
Be Creative!
In selecting a topic relating to the theme, students may wish to focus on a famous innovation in history such as the Cultural Revolution in China, the impact of jazz on American society, or Henry Ford's Model T. But remember: judges appreciate when students have been creative and novel in choosing a topic, and they enjoy learning about lesser-known events and people.
Florida Topics
- A Revolution in Tampa: How the Cigar Industry Changed the Face of a City
- Alligator: Donald Roebling's Innovative All-Terrain Vehicle
- Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley: Florida's Innovative Matriarch
- Anthony Habersack Jannus: Florida's Transformer of Commercial Airlines
- Betty Skeleton: An Innovative Aerobatic Champion and Race Driver
- British Mapmaker of the Florida Peninsula: The Innovative Career of Bernard Romans
- Clang, Clang, Clang Went the Trolley in Pensacola
- Cross-Cultural Innovations on the Florida Frontier: Daily Life at Mission San Luis de Talimali
- Dr. John P. Wall and the Fight Against Yellow Fever in Late 19th-Century Florida
- Economic Innovations in Colonial Florida: Denys Rolle and His Utopian Dream
- Eye of the Storm: The National Hurricane Center's Impact on Florida
- Faith, Food, and Fishing: Innovations of the Greeks at Tarpon Springs
- Florida and NASA: What a Stellar Combination
- Florida's Concrete Ships: Innovations in World War II Vessel Construction
- Florida's Barefoot Mailmen: An Innovative Approach to an Age-Old Need
- Florida's Seminole Indians: Their Innovative Struggle for Survival
- From Arms Smuggler to Governor: Napoleon Bonaparte Broward —A New Type of Politician
- From Hot to Cool: Ventilation in Florida
- Frozen Sunshine: Concentrated Orange Juice and Its Impact on Florida's Citrus Industry
- Hamilton Disston: Florida's Premier Engineer and Industrialist
- Henry Webb's Palmetto Plow: Clearing the Way for Florida's Future
- Innovation in Civil Rights: The Tallahassee Bus Boycott of 1956
- Innovation in Naval Warfare: Pensacola's Aircraft Carriers
- Innovation in Transportation: The Intracoastal Waterway
- Innovations in Baseball: Mr. and Mrs. Jackie Robinson in Florida
- Innovations in World War II: The Role of Blimps in Anti-Submarine Warfare
- Innovations on the Florida Landscape: Canals and Mounds Constructed by the Calusa Indians
- John Gorrie: The Father of Air Conditioning, Ice, and Refrigeration
- "Lift Every Voice and Sing": The Innovative Achievements of James Weldon Johnson
- Liquid Energy: The Impact of Gatorade on the Sports and Refreshment Industries
- Lue Gim Gong and the Orange: Florida's Chinese Horticulturalist
- Mary McLeod Bethune and Her Innovative School for Girls
- Perfecting Innovations: Thomas A. Edison and His Florida Laboratory
- Politics of Innovation: Populism's Prophetic "Ocala Demands"
- Promoting Florida as Paradise: The Writings of William Bartram
- Simmering Tempers: The 1968 Florida Teachers' Strike and its Impact on Florida Education
- Spain's Colonial Refugee Policy and the Creation of Fort Mose
- The Cross Florida Barge Canal: The Incomplete Innovation of Four Politicians
- The Florida East Coast Railroad: An Innovation in Tourism and Transportation in Florida
- The Impact of Henry M. Flagler's Ponce de Leon Hotel on Tourism in Florida
- The Innovative World of Walt: Animated Newcomers Arrive in Florida
- The Plastic King: The Legacy of Dr. Leo Baekeland
- The Politics of Innovation: Sydney J. Catts and His Rural Road to the Governor's Office
- Sea-Gull: America's First Practical Steam-Powered Vessel
- Tupperware: An Innovation in American Domestic Life
- X-Ray Vision: Thomas Edison's Innovation in Florida
National Topics
National History Day has created a list of topics that deal with national and global themes.
- Airplanes: Transforming Transportation and Connecting the World
- Anesthesia: Improving Surgery, Improving Health
- Automated Loom: Speed Weaving
- Barbed Wire: Fencing the Future
- Barometer: Under Pressure
- Canning: Preserving Food
- Dynamite: Exploding and Expanding Construction Projects
- Electricity: Shedding Light
- Electrum: Standard Unit of Measure
- Gatlin Gun or Repeating Rifle: Faster than a Speeding Bullet
- Gutenberg Press: Spreading Literacy to the Masses
- Heliocentric Solar System: Centering Our Thoughts on Astronomy
- Household Vacuum: Cleaning Up
- Internal Combustion Engine: Speed and Energy
- Irrigation: Urbanization of Communities
- Laser Technology: Curing without Cutting
- Lateen Sails: Sailing Against the Wind
- Longbow or the Stirrup or Gunpowder: Revolutionizing Warfare
- Mercator's Projection: A Grid of Directions
- Metallurgy: Transforming Agriculture, Military and Artistic Tools
- Ox-drawn Plow: Opening Trade, Transporting Goods
- Pendulum Clock: Measuring Time
- Photography: Capturing Time
- Plastics: The Gift that Won't Stop Giving
- Polio Vaccine: New Hope
- Refrigeration: Cold Storage
- Sewing Machine: Seamless Production
- Spinning Jenny: Automation of Weaving
- Telegraph: Communicating Through Code
- Telephone: Communication Connection
- Telescope: Bringing the Stars into Focus
- The Compass and Exploration
- The Reaper: Slicing through Labor Costs
- The Sextant: Guided by the Stars
- The Steam Engine: Faster and Stronger
- Transcontinental Railroad: Linking a Continent
- Waterwheel: Harnessing Energy
- X-Ray: Seeing Through the Future
The Florida topics were assembled by Peter A. Cowdrey and Daria J. Willis, based on lists developed by staff of the Museum of Florida History.