how can you write an informative essay about a historical event

200 Interesting Historical Events to Write About [New Tips]

Have you ever wondered how multifaceted and diverse history is? It impresses us with a wide variety of interesting historical events. The mysteriousness and unpredictability make studying them even more exciting.

Nevertheless, writing a speech or an essay on history can be quite challenging for students. Since there are thousands of incidents to write about, choosing a good topic becomes incredibly difficult. Unprepared for an impressive diversity of major events in world history, you can get discouraged. Even delivering insightful information may start to seem stressful.

Fortunately, you have landed on our page! Our writing team has prepared a list of interesting events in history.

Are you looking for topics for a research project? Or maybe for a speech on National History Day? Or are you just searching for historical presentation tips? We can help you with everything! Just go to the corresponding section of the article and find useful information for you.

• Interesting Events
• National History Day
• Black History Month
• More Project Ideas
• Project Tips
• PowerPoint Ideas
• Speech Topics
• Presentation Tips
• History Questions
• 30 More Things

🔥 10 Interesting Historical Events

• The Chernobyl Disaster – 1986.
• Cold War – 1947-1991.
• The Black Plague – 1347-1348.
• The French Revolution – 1789-1799.
• DNA Discovery – 1869.
• Revolution in America – 1775-1783.
• The First Flight – 1903.
• The Vietnam War – 1955-1975.
• Salem Witch Trials – 1692-1693.
• Wall Street Market Crash – 1929.

🤗 Interesting History Project Ideas

An assignment of preparing a history project can provoke diverse emotions. One student can be extremely enthusiastic about the task. For another person, the history project can become a real trial.

The project preparation includes an impressive number of challenges. However, the main requirement for an outstanding history project is a fascinating topic.

Our team developed a list of interesting topics for a history project. So, do not waste your time on the topic search. Take a look at our ideas and chose the one you find the most insightful. If this information isn’t enough, you’re always welcome to check out a free essay database and get even more topics to discuss.

📅 Topics for National History Day

• American Revolutionary War.
• Great awakening’ history.
• History of Soviet Union.
• The Canadian Indians History: the White Paper 1969 .
• The development of women’s rights.
• Southeast Asia history: Chinese imperial expansion.
• Belize and Mexico history: people and civilizations.
• Liberty! The American Revolution.
• Christianity and Asceticism in the history of religion.
• Women’s status after the American Revolution.
• The consequences of interaction in cultures and civilizations.
• Abraham Lincoln’s thoughts in American history.
• The British mandates history: Jewish and Palestinian relations.
• Role of the civilian population in World War I.
• The Industrial Revolution and beyond: culture, work, and social change.

• World history: Enlightenment in society
• Concept of imperial powers in history.
• The major causes of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States.
• History of Hitler’s Nazi propaganda.
• History of Russian Revolution in 1917.
• The Dark Ages as the Golden Ages of European history.
• Picasso and his paintings in modern world history.
• A social and political history of the United States.
• European colonization impacts on the native American population.
• Principles of liberalism and its connection to Enlightenment and conservatism.
• Japanese occupation in Philipines. Analyze the background of this event. How did World War II affect the occupation? Indicate the leaders of both parties. Analyze the consequences of Japanese occupation in Philipines for both countries.
• Pythagoras and his theorem in math.
• Mendeleev and his periodic table in chemistry.
• Einstein and his theories in physics.
• Martin Luther King as the most outstanding historical figure of USA history. Briefly introduce his biography. Why his speech I Have a Dream is so widely-discussed up till nowadays? Comment on Martin Luther King’s impact on the USA development.
• World War I and World War II. Compare and contrast the two world wars. What were the outcomes of both conflicts? In your opinion, during which war the military development was more effective?
• The mysterious origins of the USA flag. Did Americans have their flag during the American Revolution of 1775? Elaborate on that do the colors and the figures on the flag mean. When did the flag become an official symbol of America?

🖤 Topics for Black History Month

• Racism and segregation in American history.
• Reconsidering the history: Holocaust denial. The XXI century prospects.
• How useful is the term ‘fascism’ when applied generically to describe the far-right in interwar Europe?
• Rosa Parks: biography and influences.
• Blacks’ role in abolishing slavery.
• The Holocaust and Nazi Germany.
• Genocide in Rwanda: insiders and outsiders.
• Role African American women in the civil right movement.
• The propaganda of Adolf Hitler and Jim Jones .
• The rise of fascism.

• Warfare and violence in ancient times .
• Suffering in the ancient Roman and Greek periods.
• Why did Europe undergo such a bloody and destructive period from 1914-1945?
• Holocaust history, its definition, and causes .
• German concentration camps and Japanese-American internment camps. Compare and contrast the conditions and distinctive features of German concentration camps and Japanese-American internment camps.
• Tortures in the ancient world. What were the forms of torture?Analyze the tortures in different parts of the world. Give your own opinion: are there any positive sides of tortures implementation?
• The Armenian genocide of 1915. Elaborate on the sequence of the events. What were the reasons for the genocide? Comment on the outcomes of this dark event.
• The dark side of World War II. Comment on the human losses during World War II. Elaborate on the horror of being in captivity.
• The horror of concentration camps . Analyze psychology as the tool of people’s extirpation. How did the torment was killing people? What was the reason for creating concentration camps?
• Terror during the Soviet Union’s existence. Are there any social studies that examine this issue? Comment on the ways terror was implemented. What were the reasons for terroristic actions? Analyze the opposition of terror. Elaborate on the outcomes.

📝 Other Historical Project Ideas

• Greek city-states – ancient civilizations.
• Islam and Christianity impacts on the medieval word.
• Comparisons of early Greek and early Roman cultures.
• Arts of China: tomb of Liu Sheng and Dou Wan Jade suits.
• The collapse of the greatest ancient civilizations: the Maya, the Aztec, and the Inca civilizations.
• Art history: female figures in Ancient Greek sculpture.
• Historical and theological context of Byzantine Iconoclasm.
• The history of Egypt and the Fertile Crescent.
• Concepts of the rise and fall of the Babylonian and Egyptian empires.
• Ancient civilizations: the Maya Empire.

• Weapon development in early European civilizations.
• History of Celtic Christianity.
• Greek and Roman art on the campus.
• The first civilizations of North America.
• The Western Roman Empire: the significance of its collapse.
• The Agricultural Revolution: from the Neolithic Age to a New Era of agricultural growth.
• Rome in the Middle Ages and cultural transformation.
• The Stone Age period and its evolution.
• Civil Rights History .
• History of empires in the past and modern world.
• The comparison of Roman and Mongol empires.
• Military equipment and the technology of China in the Early Modern world.
• Ancient history: the Great Pyramid of Giza.
• Religion in Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire.
• The Mongol Empire . Analyze the effects of the Mongol Empire’s expansion in China, Korea, and Japan.
• Ptolemy Family as one of the most powerful families in world history. Briefly describe the family history. How did this family impact ancient Egypt? While analyzing, focus your attention on the last queen of this line—Cleopatra VII. How did Cleopatra contribute to the prosperity of ancient Egypt?
• Cultural progress as one of the most interesting topics of history. Comment on the development of culture in various parts of the world. Were there any periods when it was regressing, not progressing? Compare the distinctive features of culture in Europe, Asia, and America.
• Adolf Hitler’s art. Briefly introduce Hitler’s biography. How did his lifespan affect his development as an artist? Comment on the topics reflected in Hitler’s artworks.
• The role of the church in the life of the middle ages in Europe. Analyze the connection between the church and the governmental sector in medieval times. What was the impact of the church on education and the economy in Europe? Comment on the problems of the medieval church.
• Waitangi Treaty history. Examine the intentions, expectations, and results of signing the Treaty of Waitangi.

🥇 History Project Tips

History project development is hardly ever uncomplicated. Sometimes, the process of preparation can result in a massive discouragement for students.

But wait, let us tell you something.

Our team of experts gathered the most useful tips in one place. Use them and make your project development process more pleasurable!

• Search for an appropriate topic. There are plenty of fascinating historical facts to talk about. The choice of the most relevant one will make your project indeed successful. Choose wisely. The project about the cultural regression of Europe on the European cultural day is a horrible idea. Unless you want to fail. Pick the topic that will be interesting for the audience and relevant to the event.
• Become a real expert in your field. To achieve the highest results, conduct the background and primary source research. You need to be ready to spend a lot of time investigating the topic on a deep level. It will help you to create a well-developed history project.
• Keep your materials in order. The development of historical projects requires a wide variety of materials. Prevent a mess! Sort out all the sources you are using and keep track of the additional materials. A wise arrangement will make the research process more smooth. This way, you will get the desired final product.
• Plan your time wisely. Even a dedicated history fan can develop a sophisticated history project in a short time. Therefore, don’t follow the popular student’s rule “I’m doing everything the night before the due date.” Divide your work into small chunks and create a project gradually. Also, review what you have done from time to time. It will help you to arrange your working plan to achieve a great result. Be flexible and create a worthy project.
• Create a unique final product. Your project has to be special and memorable. Provide some bright examples, introduce fascinating historical facts. Use additional aids (slides, posters, etc.) to impress your audience. Nobody is intrigued by common historical knowledge. Use a narrative writing style to deliver information effectively.
• Back-up everything! Do you think that the highest level of pain is then you break your leg? You are mistaken. Nothing can cause more pain then accidentally deleted documents or the missing piece of vital information. You might be asking yourself how to avoid this pain. In this case, here is the answer. Make a copy of your work and upload the document on a cloud. You will have easy access to it without risks of losing data.

😍 Interesting History Topics for Presentation

Are you stressing out about the upcoming history presentation? Are you lost in the topics to present? Are you not sure if you need any visual aid for your performance or not?

We have good news for you!

Our team collected the most interesting topics for a presentation. Below, you’ll find two sections. The first one offers topics for presentation with visual aids. The second one provides a wide variety of expressive informative speech topics. Picking one of them, you can deliver your information without any additional effects.

Scroll down and choose something useful for you

📽 Ideas for PowerPoint Presentations

• Rococo and neoclassical art.
• Historical art periods: a critical evaluation of Baroque and Rococo artistic styles.
• Collective invention during the Industrial Revolution.
• Renaissance versus Baroque.
• The ancient civilization of Maya.
• Ash Kyrie art: looking into the eyes of war.
• Western world history presentation.
• Imagination, values, and emotions in different historical art periods.
• The historical development of fine arts in Korea from 1950 to the present.
• Harlem Renaissance: historical and social background.
• Cultural exchanges in the Medieval Period.
• World War II innovations.

• A history of modern Europe: from the Renaissance to the present.
• Examining an archeological site: the pyramids of Egypt. There are plenty of interesting historical facts to choose from. Additionally, include some bright images if Egyptian pyramids in your PowerPoint presentation. Imagine how impressed your audience will be!
• Mayan calendar system. Show the main figures and tables. It will be beneficial for your audience’s understanding of the material.
• The four voyages by Christopher Columbus . Use maps as visual aids to illustrate the directions of Columbus’s voyages.
• From World War One to globalization. Conduct a historical investigation on the period between WWI and the globalization era. Use charts and graphs to smooth the digestion of information.
• The Kings of Ancient Egypt. Impress your audience with interesting facts about Egyptian kings. Appropriate images will help you to deliver information effectively.
• Scientific Revolution. Comment on the development of psychology, philosophy, physics, chemistry, and medicine. Illustrate the key figures of the scientific revolution in a PowerPoint presentation.
• World War II: consequences for the world. Even an impromptu speech will be successful if you use this topic. But if you add effective visual aids, your presentation will become even more memorable.

🎙 Historical Speech Topics

• Progressive Era in the United States.
• American Revolution and the crisis of the Constitution of the USA.
• Welcome to Ancient Egypt. When legends were born.
• Declaration of independence in American history.
• Concepts of feminism as one of the most controversial topics.
• Slavery and the Civil War relationship.
• The civil rights movement: oppressing the black population.
• The American War of Independence.
• The kings of ancient Egypt.
• Mongol conquest’ causes, battles, and results.
• Abraham Lincoln against slavery as one of the most interesting history informative speech topics.
• History’s definition and concept.
• The Great War’s history.
• Pearl Harbor history .

• French revolution and the Napoleonic era.
• Enlightenment in society – a topic for a successful public speaking performance.
• The significance of Martin Luther and the protestant reformation in the history of western civilization.
• Roman Lifestyles’ influence on civilization.
• History of Christianity contributions to the Western World.
• The Christian Crusades.
• African-Americans social reform.
• The war finance feature in promoting military success.
• European Christianity and its decline from the XVI century. Think of possible reasons for Christianity’s decline. Introduce them in your speech and elaborate.
• The Black Saturday Bushfires – a tragedy of 2009. As the event is relatively recent, try to search for information on social media. Social networking can assist in finding and processing the data.
• World War II as the most devastating war in world history. Introduce your own opinion regarding the losses of World War II. Provide a critical analysis of WWII’s impact on the modern world development.
• The heritage of the Soviet Union. Comment on of the Eastern, Central, and Western Europe unification. Compare and contrast social and cultural progress among countries of the Soviet Union.
• The history of the Berlin Wall. It’s one of the most insightful ideas for public speaking. Analyze the lifespan of the wall from its construction till the falling. What was the impact of the Berlin Wall on the country?
• The Sumerian
• The Akkadians
• The Amorites
• The Assyrians
• The Chaldeans
• Golden Pectoral—a famous cultural artifact. Where was Golden Pectoral found? Analyze the historical background. Where is it kept now?
• The European Union creation. Analyze the historical background of EU creation. What is the specific purpose of the EU? Briefly introduce the timeline of the process of EU creation. How does it operate now?

🗨 History Presentation Tips

Do you want to prepare an outstanding history presentation, but not sure where to start? Not a problem! Our team created a list of useful history presentation tips. Examine and implement them in your preparation process to ensure high-quality results.

• Create a strong introduction. The main purpose of the introduction put the listeners into the picture of the topic. That’s why, initially, you have to spark the interest of the audience. For that, include an attention-getter at the beginning of your presentation. Moreover, make sure your thesis statement is clear, and you previewed all the essential points. This will help your audience to follow up with your ideas.
• Develop an effective conclusion .To finish your speech successfully, spend time working on your conclusion. It has to summarize your arguments and provide a clear picture of the discussion. A small tip from us: An inspirational thought at the end will make your presentation more memorable.
• Work on the organization and development of the presentation. A clear and easy-to-follow structure is a formula for success. Thus, make sure you have strong transitions between the points. Pay attention to the accuracy of the information you present. Include proper citations of the sources and an annotated bibliography, if necessary. It will make your work informative and prevent a lot of misunderstandings.
• Make the delivery of your presentation effective. A natural posture, appropriate body language, well-established eye contact are underrated. They are critical for good delivery! The wise use of your voice’s capabilities will put you one level above the other performers. Practice a lot before delivering your speech to astonish the audience.
• Your visual aids have to be professional and clearly readable.
• Always refer to the visual aid while presenting the information (for instance, “Take a look at the graph”).
• Your PowerPoint slides will be useful only if you put the key ideas on it, but not the entire text.
• Before giving the speech, make sure all the technologies are working properly. Ensure that no pitfalls are waiting for you.

💯 Interesting Historical Questions

Our team’s aim is to help you succeed in history studying. Therefore, we decided that a list of basic historical questions will be useful for you. Look through it and ask yourself what is most appropriate for you.

• What is the connection between the Enlightenment and romantic age?
• What are the effects of the Industrial Revolution in relation to WW 1?
• What is the history of the imperialism era from 1848 to 1914?
• What are the parallels between the Revolutions of 1848 and Arab revolutions?
• What is the timeline of the Mexican war?
• Should the United States have annexed the Philippines?
• What is the role of airplanes during WW I (1914-1918)?
• What are the cultural relations between white and black people?
• What is the national and factual identity of Britons?
• What is the history of Athens?
• What is the impact of Julius Cesar on Rome’s development?
• What are the major aspects and historical events of the Cold War?
• What are the three Rs of the new deal in United States history?
• What was the role of the gardens in Great Depression?
• What was the Mesopotamian influence on the Oman Peninsula?
• What is the importance of US Foreign Policy between 1890-1991?
• What are the features of the Russian working-class movement?
• What is the role of America in World War 1?
• What are the causes of depression in the 1890s?

• Why the Scientific Revolution did not take place in China – or did it?
• What were the Great Britain Empire’s Alliances?
• What is the US Role in the Egypt-Israel war?
• Who are the legendary warriors of Old Japan?
• What are the similarities and differences between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King?
• What is the importance of the unification of GDR and FRG in the history of Germany?
• What effect did Industrialisation have on the levels of water pollution? Elaborate on the link between the lack of drinkable water and the Industrial Revolution.
• How did the development of psychology during the Scientific Revolution impact the world’s perception?
• What is the history of astronomy development and steroids studying during the Scientific Revolution?
• What are the most fun facts about the history of the world?
• What are some concepts of civilization development that are significant for the world’s history holistic picture?

👌 30 More Interesting Things in History to Write about

You have probably noticed already that there is plenty of interesting topics of history to write about. The essay writing process can become more pleasurable if you know what to analyze. When the students have a clear view of the time frame and territory they need to explore, they struggle less with a paper.

In case you’re asking yourself how to make the search for fascinating ideas easier, we have an answer. We prepared a pleasant bonus for you—a collection of interesting topics about history.

Five interesting things to write about in world history:

• World War I .
• World War II .
• Role of democracy in the world .
• Revolutions’ history and definition .

Five interesting things to write about in European history:

• The Roman Empire .
• The Thirty Years War .
• Protestant Reformation .
• Enlightenment and revolution .
• European Union .

Five interesting things to write about in US history:

• The Civil War .
• Progressive Era.
• Race relations and women’s status .
• Native American culture and American Indians .
• The Compromise of 1850 .

Five interesting things to write about in ancient history :

• The Stone Age period.
• Greek city-states.
• Ancient Egypt history .
• Mesopotamian civilization.
• Maya, Aztec, and Inca collapse .

Five interesting things to write about in modern history :

• Total War in modern world history .
• Industrial Revolution .
• Scientific Revolution .
• Renaissance period .
• Great Awakening’s history.

Five interesting biographies to write about:

• Alexander the Great .
• Karl Marx .
• Napoleon Bonaparte .
• Abraham Lincoln .
• Adolf Hitler .

Thank you for reading our article! We hope you found some useful tips and chose an interesting topic for your assignment. Do not forget to leave your comment and share our page with your friends!

🔗References

• The 25 Moments From American History That Matter Right Now: Time
• 5 (Recent) Historical Events You Should Discuss with Your Students: Josh Work, Edutopia
• Ideas, National History Day: Indiana Historical Society
• 3 Ways to Make a Good Presentation Great: Geoffrey James, Inc.com
• How to Convert Your Paper into a Presentation: Writing Studio, Thompson Writing Program, Duke University
• Oral Presentation and Powerpoint: The John A. Dutton e-Education Institute, the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University
• Stages of a Historical Research Project: DoHistory
• Project Categories: National History Day, NHD
• 150+ Presentation Topic Ideas for Students [Plus Templates]: Orana Velarde, Visual Learning Center by Visme
• History: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Writing a Thesis and Making an Argument: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, The University of Iowa
• African American History Month: The Library of Congress
• Writing with Writers, Speech Writing, Tips from the Pros: Teacher’s Activity Guide, Scholastic
• 20 Public Speaking Tips for Students: Arlin Cuncic, Verywell Mind
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How to Write a Paper on a Historically Significant Event

Writing a paper on a historically significant event is an excellent way to learn. It trains you to gather information, interpret it, and persuasively present an informed opinion. The researching process itself teaches you a great deal, but it also equips you to contribute to ongoing discussions on a given topic.

Here are the basic steps of writing a paper on a significant event, either for a class or for your own personal research:

• Select an event
• Do your research
• Construct an outline
• Write your paper
• Revise and refine

1. Select an Event

Unless you’ve been assigned a historically significant event to research, you’re most likely going to begin the process from a position of interest. The event you want to explore will be interesting to you for one reason or another (or maybe for many reasons). But it’s important to discover the particular lens through which you want to view it. Do you want to see the historical context that led up to it? Do you want to look back at the event through the filter of contemporary debates? Do you want to focus on the way the event influenced later events?

Having a lens in mind will help you to be aware of the perspective you bring to your studies by default, because the reality is that no one approaches their study or research in a vacuum. We all have particular ways of viewing the world, and attending to those—and being intentional about them—can help us to be intellectually honest and gracious.

Remember, you don’t have to be an expert before you begin—that’s what the research process will accomplish.

For more on the process of researching and writing a paper, check out these resources:

• Article:   Work with Librarians to Help Students Write Better Papers
• The Craft of Research  — particularly chapter 5 (Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. Fitzgerald)

Writing & Research: A Guide for Theological Students  by Kevin Gary Smith

Written in a simple yet engaging style, Dr. Kevin Smith applies his years of experience and expertise in scholarly writing and research in this one-volume guide. Perfect as an introduction for new and continuing undergraduate or postgraduate students, this publication provides helpful guidelines and illustrations on all the elements that go into producing an academic work. Combining specific instruction on researching and preparing an academic work, as well as practical advice for task management, makes this an ideal go-to guide for students and supervisors alike.

The Timeline Tool displays a unified graphical timeline of historical events.

Learn more about the Timeline

2. Do Your Research

With an event selected, it’s time to find the resources you’re going to use and dig into them. You may find that one resource offers the best discussion of your chosen event, but you can’t stop there! Researching well means considering opinions that differ from each other (and probably from your own). It’s in the conversation that emerges from engaging with multiple perspectives that real insight and understanding emerge

Conduct a literature review and build your bibliography

The process of conducting a literature review and building a bibliography is an iterative process. It’s not a one-time step but a step you’ll return to over and over again as you move through your research.

Essentially, in this step, you’re discovering what resources exist and cataloging them. As you begin to read the resources you discover, you’ll likely find references to other works that you’ll then want to read.

Chapter 5 of  The Craft of Research  is particularly helpful here.

Consult standard sources

If the event you want to research is part of church history, then encyclopedias, theological dictionaries, concordances, and other theological reference tools contain useful information that will orient you to the event you’ve selected and its context. But the biggest help these resources will offer you at this stage is their bibliographies. Be sure to check the cross-references.

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, rev. ed.

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, since its first appearance in 1957, has established itself as the indispensable one-volume reference work on all aspects of the Christian Church. This Revised Edition, published in 2005, builds on the unrivaled reputation of the previous editions. Revised and updated, it reflects changes in academic opinion and Church organization.

Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity (3 vols.)

The Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity covers eight centuries of the Christian church and comprises 3,220 entries by a team of 266 scholars from 26 countries representing a variety of Christian traditions. It draws upon such fields as archaeology, art and architecture, biography, cultural studies, ecclesiology, geography, history, philosophy, and theology.

Consult peer-reviewed journals

You need to see what your contemporaries have to say about the event you’re examining in order to situate your research in its context. This means consulting peer-reviewed journals. As you read, you’ll discover where scholars agree and disagree, and how the study of that event has advanced over time.

Academic Journal Bundle 7.4 (575+ vols.)

Study pivotal issues in history, critical biblical interpretation, and archaeology with distinguished scholars from around the world with the Academic Journal Bundle 7.4. Including journals that zoom in on a specific field, as well as eclectic journals that provide commentary and insight on a diversity of topics, this bundle adds impressive breadth to your library.

Consult primary sources

After completing all the previous steps, you will likely have become acquainted with the most important books for your chosen event, both primary and secondary. Primary sources are firsthand historical documents, whereas secondary sources are books and articles that analyze or interpret the primary sources. Reading primary sources, particularly those written by people directly involved in the event you’re researching, is especially important.

Visit  logos.com  to find the sources you need, and while you’re there, check out the  Logos Academic packages !

3. Construct an Outline

This step is incredibly important, but it is often overlooked. It’s time to refine your angle of approach based on your research, then arrange your notes and research materials into a clear outline that will guide you as you craft a convincing and coherent argument.

See chapters 8 and 9 of  The Craft of Research  for more guidance on constructing your outline.

4. Draft Your Paper

You are now ready to draft your paper. Your initial focus is to expand your outline into paragraph form as straightforwardly as possible. While your outline will be essential as you draft, don’t feel you need to stick to it absolutely. You may discover as you write that a different structure or organization will better advance your argument. Make use of relevant quotations from your research to clarify your points or add support for your arguments.

5. Revise and Refine

Notice the word “draft” in the previous step. That word is intentionally selected because, arguably, the most important part of the writing process is in your revisions. Drafting gets the ball rolling, but revising is where you refine and revise your previous drafts, ensuring your argument is clear and forceful.

SBL Handbook of Style, Second Edition

The SBL Handbook of Style is the definitive style manual on writing and publishing in the field of biblical studies and related disciplines. The updated second edition reflects the latest practices and trends among scholars, editors, and publishers. It also includes key style changes, expanded abbreviation and spelling sample lists, a list of archaeological site names, material on qur’anic sources, detailed information on citing electronic sources, and expanded guidelines for the transliteration and transcription of 17 ancient languages.

The Elements of Style  by William Strunk Jr

Learn to write clear and accurate prose from a master of English style—William Strunk. This little book, originally circulated amongst Strunk’s students at Cornell, has become a desktop stalwart of engineers, managers, students, pastors, and writers of every variety. Strunk’s seven rules of usage and 11 principles of composition have been creating clear communicators for almost a century.

While this structure is helpful, you may find that some variation of it works better for you. Go with what works because, at the end of the day, a thoroughly-researched and well-written paper is what you’re after.

Logos Staff

Logos is the largest developer of tools that empower Christians to go deeper in the Bible.

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How to Write a History Essay?

04 August, 2020

10 minutes read

Author:  Tomas White

There are so many types of essays. It can be hard to know where to start. History papers aren’t just limited to history classes. These tasks can be assigned to examine any important historical event or a person. While they’re more common in history classes, you can find this type of assignment in sociology or political science course syllabus, or just get a history essay task for your scholarship. This is Handmadewriting History Essay Guide - let's start!

Purpose  of a History Essay

Wondering how to write a history essay? First of all, it helps to understand its purpose. Secondly, this essay aims to examine the influences that lead to a historical event. Thirdly, it can explore the importance of an individual’s impact on history.

However, the goal isn’t to stay in the past. Specifically, a well-written history essay should discuss the relevance of the event or person to the “now”. After finishing this essay, a reader should have a fuller understanding of the lasting impact of an event or individual.

Need basic essay guidance? Find out what is an essay with this 101 essay guide: What is an Essay?

Elements for Success

Indeed, understanding how to write a history essay is crucial in creating a successful paper. Notably, these essays should never only outline successful historic events or list an individual’s achievements. Instead, they should focus on examining questions beginning with what , how , and why . Here’s a pro tip in how to write a history essay: brainstorm questions. Once you’ve got questions, you have an excellent starting point.

Preparing to Write

Evidently, a typical history essay format requires the writer to provide background on the event or person, examine major influences, and discuss the importance of the forces both then and now. In addition, when preparing to write, it’s helpful to organize the information you need to research into questions. For example:

• Who were the major contributors to this event?
• Who opposed or fought against this event?
• Who gained or lost from this event?
• Who benefits from this event today?
• What factors led up to this event?
• What changes occurred because of this event?
• What lasting impacts occurred locally, nationally, globally due to this event?
• What lessons (if any) were learned?
• Why did this event occur?
• Why did certain populations support it?
• Why did certain populations oppose it?

These questions exist as samples. Therefore, generate questions specific to your topic. Once you have a list of questions, it’s time to evaluate them.

Evaluating the Question

Seasoned writers approach writing history by examining the historic event or individual. Specifically, the goal is to assess the impact then and now. Accordingly, the writer needs to evaluate the importance of the main essay guiding the paper. For example, if the essay’s topic is the rise of American prohibition, a proper question may be “How did societal factors influence the rise of American prohibition during the 1920s? ”

This question is open-ended since it allows for insightful analysis, and limits the research to societal factors. Additionally, work to identify key terms in the question. In the example, key terms would be “societal factors” and “prohibition”.

Summarizing the Argument

The argument should answer the question. Use the thesis statement to clarify the argument and outline how you plan to make your case. In other words. the thesis should be sharp, clear, and multi-faceted. Consider the following tips when summarizing the case:

• The thesis should be a single sentence
• It should include a concise argument and a roadmap
• It’s always okay to revise the thesis as the paper develops
• Conduct a bit of research to ensure you have enough support for the ideas within the paper

Outlining a History Essay Plan

Once you’ve refined your argument, it’s time to outline. Notably, many skip this step to regret it then. Nonetheless, the outline is a map that shows where you need to arrive historically and when. Specifically, taking the time to plan, placing the strongest argument last, and identifying your sources of research is a good use of time. When you’re ready to outline, do the following:

• Consider the necessary background the reader should know in the introduction paragraph
• Define any important terms and vocabulary
• Determine which ideas will need the cited support
• Identify how each idea supports the main argument
• Brainstorm key points to review in the conclusion

Gathering Sources

As a rule, history essays require both primary and secondary sources . Primary resources are those that were created during the historical period being analyzed. Secondary resources are those created by historians and scholars about the topic. It’s a good idea to know if the professor requires a specific number of sources, and what kind he or she prefers. Specifically, most tutors prefer primary over secondary sources.

Where to find sources? Great question! Check out bibliographies included in required class readings. In addition, ask a campus Librarian. Peruse online journal databases; In addition, most colleges provide students with free access. When in doubt, make an appointment and ask the professor for guidance.

Writing the Essay

Now that you have prepared your questions, ideas, and arguments; composed the outline ; and gathered sources – it’s time to write your first draft. In particular, each section of your history essay must serve its purpose. Here is what you should include in essay paragraphs.

Introduction Paragraph

Unsure of how to start a history essay? Well, like most essays, the introduction should include an attention-getter (or hook):

• Relevant fact or statistic
• Rhetorical Question
• Interesting quotation
• Application anecdote if appropriate

Once you’ve captured the reader’s interest, introduce the topic. Similarly, present critical historic context. Namely, it is necessary to introduce any key individuals or events that will be discussed later in the essay. At last, end with a strong thesis which acts as a transition to the first argument.

Body Paragraphs

Indeed, each body paragraph should offer a single idea to support the argument. Then, after writing a strong topic sentence, the topic should be supported with correctly cited research. Consequently, a typical body paragraph is arranged as follows:

• Topic sentence linking to the thesis
• Background of the topic
• Research quotation or paraphrase #1
• Explanation and analysis of research
• Research quotation or paraphrase #2
• Transition to the next paragraph

Equally, the point of body paragraphs is to build the argument. Hence, present the weakest support first and end with the strongest. Admittedly, doing so leaves the reader with the best possible evidence.

Conclusion Paragraph

You’re almost there! Eventually, conclusion paragraphs should review the most important points in the paper. In them, you should prove that you’ve supported the argument proposed in the thesis. When writing a conclusion paragraph keep these tips in mind:

• Keep it simple
• Avoid introducing new information
• Review major points
• Discuss the relevance to today

Problems with writing Your History essay ? Try our Essay Writer Service!

Proofreading Your Essay

Once the draft is ready and polished, it’s time to proceed to final editing. What does this process imply? Specifically, it’s about removing impurities and making the essay look just perfect. Here’s what you need to do to improve the quality of your paper:

• Double check the content. In the first place, it’s recommended to get rid of long sentences, correct vague words. Also, make sure that all your paragrahps contain accurate sentences with transparent meaning. 
• Pay attention to style. To make the process of digesting your essay easier, focus on crafting a paper with readable style, the one that is known to readers. Above all, the main mission here is to facilitate the perception of your essay. So, don’t forget about style accuracy.
• Practice reading the essay. Of course, the best practice before passing the paper is to read it out loud. Hence, this exercise will help you notice fragments that require rewriting or a complete removal.  

History Essay Example

Did you want a history essay example? Take a look at one of our history essay papers. 

Make it Shine

An A-level essay takes planning and revision, but it’s achievable. Firstly, avoid procrastination and start early. Secondly, leave yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, outline, research and write. Finally, follow these five tips to make your history essay shine:

• Write a substantial introduction. Particularly, it’s the first impression the professor will have of the paper.
• State a clear thesis. A strong thesis is easier to support.
• Incorporate evidence critically. If while researching you find opposing arguments, include them and discuss their flaws.
• Cite all the research. Whether direct quotations or paraphrases, citing evidence is crucial to avoiding plagiarism, which can have serious academic consequences.
• Include primary and secondary resources. While primary resources may be harder to find, the professor will expect them—this is, after all, a history essay.

History Essay Sample

Ready to tackle the history essay format? Great! Check out this history essay sample from an upper-level history class. While the essay isn’t perfect, the professor points out its many strengths.

Remember: start early and revise, revise, revise . We can’t revise history, but you can revise your ideas until they’re perfect.

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How to Write a History Essay with Outline, Tips, Examples and More

Samuel Gorbold

Before we get into how to write a history essay, let's first understand what makes one good. Different people might have different ideas, but there are some basic rules that can help you do well in your studies. In this guide, we won't get into any fancy theories. Instead, we'll give you straightforward tips to help you with historical writing. So, if you're ready to sharpen your writing skills, let our history essay writing service explore how to craft an exceptional paper.

What is a History Essay?

A history essay is an academic assignment where we explore and analyze historical events from the past. We dig into historical stories, figures, and ideas to understand their importance and how they've shaped our world today. History essay writing involves researching, thinking critically, and presenting arguments based on evidence.

Moreover, history papers foster the development of writing proficiency and the ability to communicate complex ideas effectively. They also encourage students to engage with primary and secondary sources, enhancing their research skills and deepening their understanding of historical methodology. Students can benefit from utilizing essay writers services when faced with challenging assignments. These services provide expert assistance and guidance, ensuring that your history papers meet academic standards and accurately reflect your understanding of the subject matter.

History Essay Outline

The outline is there to guide you in organizing your thoughts and arguments in your essay about history. With a clear outline, you can explore and explain historical events better. Here's how to make one:

Introduction

• Hook: Start with an attention-grabbing opening sentence or anecdote related to your topic.
• Background Information: Provide context on the historical period, event, or theme you'll be discussing.
• Thesis Statement: Present your main argument or viewpoint, outlining the scope and purpose of your history essay.

Body paragraph 1: Introduction to the Historical Context

• Provide background information on the historical context of your topic.
• Highlight key events, figures, or developments leading up to the main focus of your history essay.

Body paragraphs 2-4 (or more): Main Arguments and Supporting Evidence

• Each paragraph should focus on a specific argument or aspect of your thesis.
• Present evidence from primary and secondary sources to support each argument.
• Analyze the significance of the evidence and its relevance to your history paper thesis.

Counterarguments (optional)

• Address potential counterarguments or alternative perspectives on your topic.
• Refute opposing viewpoints with evidence and logical reasoning.
• Summary of Main Points: Recap the main arguments presented in the body paragraphs.
• Restate Thesis: Reinforce your thesis statement, emphasizing its significance in light of the evidence presented.
• Reflection: Reflect on the broader implications of your arguments for understanding history.
• Closing Thought: End your history paper with a thought-provoking statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

References/bibliography

• List all sources used in your research, formatted according to the citation style required by your instructor (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago).
• Include both primary and secondary sources, arranged alphabetically by the author's last name.

Notes (if applicable)

• Include footnotes or endnotes to provide additional explanations, citations, or commentary on specific points within your history essay.

History Essay Format

Adhering to a specific format is crucial for clarity, coherence, and academic integrity. Here are the key components of a typical history essay format:

Font and Size

• Use a legible font such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri.
• The recommended font size is usually 12 points. However, check your instructor's guidelines, as they may specify a different size.
• Set 1-inch margins on all sides of the page.
• Double-space the entire essay, including the title, headings, body paragraphs, and references.
• Avoid extra spacing between paragraphs unless specified otherwise.
• Align text to the left margin; avoid justifying the text or using a centered alignment.

Title Page (if required):

• If your instructor requires a title page, include the essay title, your name, the course title, the instructor's name, and the date.
• Center-align this information vertically and horizontally on the page.
• Include a header on each page (excluding the title page if applicable) with your last name and the page number, flush right.
• Some instructors may require a shortened title in the header, usually in all capital letters.
• Center-align the essay title at the top of the first page (if a title page is not required).
• Use standard capitalization (capitalize the first letter of each major word).
• Avoid underlining, italicizing, or bolding the title unless necessary for emphasis.

Paragraph Indentation:

• Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches or use the tab key.
• Do not insert extra spaces between paragraphs unless instructed otherwise.

Citations and References:

• Follow the citation style specified by your instructor (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago).
• Include in-text citations whenever you use information or ideas from external sources.
• Provide a bibliography or list of references at the end of your history essay, formatted according to the citation style guidelines.
• Typically, history essays range from 1000 to 2500 words, but this can vary depending on the assignment.

How to Write a History Essay?

Historical writing can be an exciting journey through time, but it requires careful planning and organization. In this section, we'll break down the process into simple steps to help you craft a compelling and well-structured history paper.

Analyze the Question

Before diving headfirst into writing, take a moment to dissect the essay question. Read it carefully, and then read it again. You want to get to the core of what it's asking. Look out for keywords that indicate what aspects of the topic you need to focus on. If you're unsure about anything, don't hesitate to ask your instructor for clarification. Remember, understanding how to start a history essay is half the battle won!

Now, let's break this step down:

• Read the question carefully and identify keywords or phrases.
• Consider what the question is asking you to do – are you being asked to analyze, compare, contrast, or evaluate?
• Pay attention to any specific instructions or requirements provided in the question.
• Take note of the time period or historical events mentioned in the question – this will give you a clue about the scope of your history essay.

Develop a Strategy

With a clear understanding of the essay question, it's time to map out your approach. Here's how to develop your historical writing strategy:

• Brainstorm ideas : Take a moment to jot down any initial thoughts or ideas that come to mind in response to the history paper question. This can help you generate a list of potential arguments, themes, or points you want to explore in your history essay.
• Create an outline : Once you have a list of ideas, organize them into a logical structure. Start with a clear introduction that introduces your topic and presents your thesis statement – the main argument or point you'll be making in your history essay. Then, outline the key points or arguments you'll be discussing in each paragraph of the body, making sure they relate back to your thesis. Finally, plan a conclusion that summarizes your main points and reinforces your history paper thesis.
• Research : Before diving into writing, gather evidence to support your arguments. Use reputable sources such as books, academic journals, and primary documents to gather historical evidence and examples. Take notes as you research, making sure to record the source of each piece of information for proper citation later on.
• Consider counterarguments : Anticipate potential counterarguments to your history paper thesis and think about how you'll address them in your essay. Acknowledging opposing viewpoints and refuting them strengthens your argument and demonstrates critical thinking.
• Set realistic goals : Be realistic about the scope of your history essay and the time you have available to complete it. Break down your writing process into manageable tasks, such as researching, drafting, and revising, and set deadlines for each stage to stay on track.

Start Your Research

Now that you've grasped the history essay topic and outlined your approach, it's time to dive into research. Here's how to start:

• Ask questions : What do you need to know? What are the key points to explore further? Write down your inquiries to guide your research.
• Explore diverse sources : Look beyond textbooks. Check academic journals, reliable websites, and primary sources like documents or artifacts.
• Consider perspectives : Think about different viewpoints on your topic. How have historians analyzed it? Are there controversies or differing interpretations?
• Take organized notes : Summarize key points, jot down quotes, and record your thoughts and questions. Stay organized using spreadsheets or note-taking apps.
• Evaluate sources : Consider the credibility and bias of each source. Are they peer-reviewed? Do they represent a particular viewpoint?

Establish a Viewpoint

By establishing a clear viewpoint and supporting arguments, you'll lay the foundation for your compelling historical writing:

• Review your research : Reflect on the information gathered. What patterns or themes emerge? Which perspectives resonate with you?
• Formulate a thesis statement : Based on your research, develop a clear and concise thesis that states your argument or interpretation of the topic.
• Consider counterarguments : Anticipate objections to your history paper thesis. Are there alternative viewpoints or evidence that you need to address?
• Craft supporting arguments : Outline the main points that support your thesis. Use evidence from your research to strengthen your arguments.
• Stay flexible : Be open to adjusting your viewpoint as you continue writing and researching. New information may challenge or refine your initial ideas.

Structure Your Essay

Now that you've delved into the depths of researching historical events and established your viewpoint, it's time to craft the skeleton of your essay: its structure. Think of your history essay outline as constructing a sturdy bridge between your ideas and your reader's understanding. How will you lead them from point A to point Z? Will you follow a chronological path through history or perhaps dissect themes that span across time periods?

And don't forget about the importance of your introduction and conclusion—are they framing your narrative effectively, enticing your audience to read your paper, and leaving them with lingering thoughts long after they've turned the final page? So, as you lay the bricks of your history essay's architecture, ask yourself: How can I best lead my audience through the maze of time and thought, leaving them enlightened and enriched on the other side?

Create an Engaging Introduction

Creating an engaging introduction is crucial for capturing your reader's interest right from the start. But how do you do it? Think about what makes your topic fascinating. Is there a surprising fact or a compelling story you can share? Maybe you could ask a thought-provoking question that gets people thinking. Consider why your topic matters—what lessons can we learn from history?

Also, remember to explain what your history essay will be about and why it's worth reading. What will grab your reader's attention and make them want to learn more? How can you make your essay relevant and intriguing right from the beginning?

Develop Coherent Paragraphs

Once you've established your introduction, the next step is to develop coherent paragraphs that effectively communicate your ideas. Each paragraph should focus on one main point or argument, supported by evidence or examples from your research. Start by introducing the main idea in a topic sentence, then provide supporting details or evidence to reinforce your point.

Make sure to use transition words and phrases to guide your reader smoothly from one idea to the next, creating a logical flow throughout your history essay. Additionally, consider the organization of your paragraphs—is there a clear progression of ideas that builds upon each other? Are your paragraphs unified around a central theme or argument?

Conclude Effectively

Concluding your history essay effectively is just as important as starting it off strong. In your conclusion, you want to wrap up your main points while leaving a lasting impression on your reader. Begin by summarizing the key points you've made throughout your history essay, reminding your reader of the main arguments and insights you've presented.

Then, consider the broader significance of your topic—what implications does it have for our understanding of history or for the world today? You might also want to reflect on any unanswered questions or areas for further exploration. Finally, end with a thought-provoking statement or a call to action that encourages your reader to continue thinking about the topic long after they've finished reading.

Reference Your Sources

Referencing your sources is essential for maintaining the integrity of your history essay and giving credit to the scholars and researchers who have contributed to your understanding of the topic. Depending on the citation style required (such as MLA, APA, or Chicago), you'll need to format your references accordingly. Start by compiling a list of all the sources you've consulted, including books, articles, websites, and any other materials used in your research.

Then, as you write your history essay, make sure to properly cite each source whenever you use information or ideas that are not your own. This includes direct quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. Remember to include all necessary information for each source, such as author names, publication dates, and page numbers, as required by your chosen citation style.

Review and Ask for Advice

As you near the completion of your history essay writing, it's crucial to take a step back and review your work with a critical eye. Reflect on the clarity and coherence of your arguments—are they logically organized and effectively supported by evidence? Consider the strength of your introduction and conclusion—do they effectively capture the reader's attention and leave a lasting impression? Take the time to carefully proofread your history essay for any grammatical errors or typos that may detract from your overall message.

Furthermore, seeking advice from peers, mentors, or instructors can provide valuable insights and help identify areas for improvement. Consider sharing your essay with someone whose feedback you trust and respect, and be open to constructive criticism. Ask specific questions about areas you're unsure about or where you feel your history essay may be lacking. If you need further assistance, don't hesitate to reach out and ask for help. You can even consider utilizing services that offer to write a discussion post for me , where you can engage in meaningful conversations with others about your essay topic and receive additional guidance and support.

History Essay Example

In this section, we offer an example of a history essay examining the impact of the Industrial Revolution on society. This essay demonstrates how historical analysis and critical thinking are applied in academic writing. By exploring this specific event, you can observe how historical evidence is used to build a cohesive argument and draw meaningful conclusions.

FAQs about History Essay Writing

How to write a history essay introduction, how to write a conclusion for a history essay, how to write a good history essay.

Samuel Gorbold , a seasoned professor with over 30 years of experience, guides students across disciplines such as English, psychology, political science, and many more. Together with EssayHub, he is dedicated to enhancing student understanding and success through comprehensive academic support.

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Writing a history essay

An essay is a piece of sustained writing in response to a question, topic or issue. Essays are commonly used for assessing and evaluating student progress in history. History essays test a range of skills including historical understanding, interpretation and analysis, planning, research and writing.

To write an effective essay, students should examine the question, understand its focus and requirements, acquire information and evidence through research, then construct a clear and well-organised response. Writing a good history essay should be rigorous and challenging, even for stronger students. As with other skills, essay writing develops and improves over time. Each essay you complete helps you become more competent and confident in exercising these skills.

Study the question

This is an obvious tip but one sadly neglected by some students. The first step to writing a good essay, whatever the subject or topic, is to give plenty of thought to the question.

An essay question will set some kind of task or challenge. It might ask you to explain the causes and/or effects of a particular event or situation. It might ask if you agree or disagree with a statement. It might ask you to describe and analyse the causes and/or effects of a particular action or event. Or it might ask you to evaluate the relative significance of a person, group or event.

You should begin by reading the essay question several times. Underline, highlight or annotate keywords or terms in the text of the question. Think about what it requires you to do. Who or what does it want you to concentrate on? Does it state or imply a particular timeframe? What problem or issue does it want you to address?

Begin with a plan

Every essay should begin with a written plan. Start constructing a plan as soon as you have received your essay question and given it some thought.

Prepare for research by brainstorming and jotting down your thoughts and ideas. What are your initial responses or thoughts about the question? What topics, events, people or issues are connected with the question? Do any additional questions or issues flow from the question? What topics or events do you need to learn more about? What historians or sources might be useful?

If you encounter a mental ‘brick wall’ or are uncertain about how to approach the question, don’t hesitate to discuss it with someone else. Consult your teacher, a capable classmate or someone you trust. Bear in mind too that once you start researching, your plan may change as you locate new information.

Start researching

After studying the question and developing an initial plan, start to gather information and evidence.

Most will start by reading an overview of the topic or issue, usually in some reliable secondary sources. This will refresh or build your existing understanding of the topic and provide a basis for further questions or investigation.

Your research should take shape from here, guided by the essay question and your own planning. Identify terms or concepts you do not know and find out what they mean. As you locate information, ask yourself if it is relevant or useful for addressing the question. Be creative with your research, looking in a variety of places.

If you have difficulty locating information, seek advice from your teacher or someone you trust.

Develop a contention

All good history essays have a clear and strong contention. A contention is the main idea or argument of your essay. It serves both as an answer to the question and the focal point of your writing.

Ideally, you should be able to express your contention as a single sentence. For example, the following contention might form the basis of an essay question on the rise of the Nazis:

Q. Why did the Nazi Party win 37 per cent of the vote in July 1932? A. The Nazi Party’s electoral success of 1932 was a result of economic suffering caused by the Great Depression, public dissatisfaction with the Weimar Republic’s democratic political system and mainstream parties, and Nazi propaganda that promised a return to traditional social, political and economic values.

An essay using this contention would then go on to explain and justify these statements in greater detail. It will also support the contention with argument and evidence.

At some point in your research, you should begin thinking about a contention for your essay. Remember, you should be able to express it briefly as if addressing the essay question in a single sentence, or summing up in a debate.

Try to frame your contention so that is strong, authoritative and convincing. It should sound like the voice of someone well informed about the subject and confident about their answer.

Plan an essay structure

Once most of your research is complete and you have a strong contention, start jotting down a possible essay structure. This need not be complicated, a few lines or dot points is ample.

Every essay must have an introduction, a body of several paragraphs and a conclusion. Your paragraphs should be well organised and follow a logical sequence.

You can organise paragraphs in two ways: chronologically (covering events or topics in the order they occurred) or thematically (covering events or topics based on their relevance or significance). Every paragraph should be clearly signposted in the topic sentence.

Once you have finalised a plan for your essay, commence your draft.

Write a compelling introduction

Many consider the introduction to be the most important part of an essay. It is important for several reasons. It is the reader’s first experience of your essay. It is where you first address the question and express your contention. It is also where you lay out or ‘signpost’ the direction your essay will take.

Aim for an introduction that is clear, confident and punchy. Get straight to the point – do not waste time with a rambling or storytelling introduction.

Start by providing a little context, then address the question, articulate your contention and indicate what direction your essay will take.

Write fully formed paragraphs

Many history students fall into the trap of writing short paragraphs, sometimes containing as little as one or two sentences. A good history essay contains paragraphs that are themselves ‘mini-essays’, usually between 100-200 words each.

A paragraph should focus on one topic or issue only – but it should contain a thorough exploration of that topic or issue.

A good paragraph will begin with an effective opening sentence, sometimes called a topic sentence or signposting sentence. This sentence introduces the paragraph topic and briefly explains its significance to the question and your contention. Good paragraphs also contain thorough explanations, some analysis and evidence, and perhaps a quotation or two.

Finish with an effective conclusion

The conclusion is the final paragraph of your essay. A good conclusion should do two things. First, it should reiterate or restate the contention of your essay. Second, it should close off your essay, ideally with a polished ending that is not abrupt or awkward.

One effective way to do this is with a brief summary of ‘what happened next’. For example, an essay discussing Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 might close with a couple of sentences about how he consolidated and strengthened his power in 1934-35.

Your conclusion need not be as long or as developed as your body paragraphs. You should avoid introducing new information or evidence in the conclusion.

Reference and cite your sources

A history essay is only likely to succeed if it is appropriately referenced. Your essay should support its information, ideas and arguments with citations or references to reliable sources.

Referencing not only acknowledges the work of others, but it also gives authority to your writing and provides the teacher or assessor with an insight into your research. More information on referencing a piece of history writing can be found here .

Proofread, edit and seek feedback

Every essay should be proofread, edited and, if necessary, re-drafted before being submitted for assessment. Essays should ideally be completed well before their due date then put aside for a day or two before proofreading.

When proofreading, look first for spelling and grammatical errors, typographical mistakes, incorrect dates or other errors of fact.

Think then about how you can improve the clarity, tone and structure of your essay. Does your essay follow a logical structure or sequence? Is the signposting in your essay clear and effective? Are some sentences too long or ‘rambling’? Do you repeat yourself? Do paragraphs need to be expanded, fine-tuned or strengthened with more evidence?

Read your essay aloud, either to yourself or another person. Seek feedback and advice from a good writer or someone you trust (they need not have expertise in history, only in effective writing).

Some general tips on writing

• Always write in the third person . Never refer to yourself personally, using phrases like “I think…” or “It is my contention…”. Good history essays should adopt the perspective of an informed and objective third party. They should sound rational and factual – not like an individual expressing their opinion.
• Always write in the past tense . An obvious tip for a history essay is to write in the past tense. Always be careful about your use of tense. Watch out for mixed tenses when proofreading your work. One exception to the rule about past tense is when writing about the work of modern historians (for example, “Kershaw writes…” sounds better than “Kershaw wrote…” or “Kershaw has written…”).
• Avoid generalisations . Generalisation is a problem in all essays but it is particularly common in history essays. Generalisation occurs when you form general conclusions from one or more specific examples. In history, this most commonly occurs when students study the experiences of a particular group, then assume their experiences applied to a much larger group – for example, “All the peasants were outraged”, “Women rallied to oppose conscription” or “Germans supported the Nazi Party”. Both history and human society, however, are never this clear cut or simple. Always try to avoid generalisation and be on the lookout for generalised statements when proofreading.
• Write short, sharp and punchy . Good writers vary their sentence length but as a rule of thumb, most of your sentences should be short and punchy. The longer a sentence becomes, the greater the risk of it becoming long-winded or confusing. Long sentences can easily become disjointed, confused or rambling. Try not to overuse long sentences and pay close attention to sentence length when proofreading.
• Write in an active voice . In history writing, the active voice is preferable to the passive voice. In the active voice, the subject completes the action (e.g. “Hitler [the subject] initiated the Beer Hall putsch [the action] to seize control of the Bavarian government”). In the passive voice, the action is completed by the subject (“The Beer Hall putsch [the action] was initiated by Hitler [the subject] to seize control of the Bavarian government”). The active voice also helps prevent sentences from becoming long, wordy and unclear.

You may also find our page on writing for history useful.

Citation information Title : ‘Writing a history essay’ Authors : Jennifer Llewellyn, Steve Thompson Publisher : Alpha History URL : https://alphahistory.com/writing-a-history-essay/ Date published : April 13, 2020 Date updated : December 20, 2022 Date accessed : Today’s date Copyright : The content on this page may not be republished without our express permission. For more information on usage, please refer to our Terms of Use.

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Exploring historical events: crafting informative essays for readers, share share tweetin our pursuit of understanding the past, the art of writing essays on historical events stands as a bridge. it connects yesterday’s stories and today’s curious minds. hence, this guide has been crafted with that in mind. it is a sort of expedition into the heart of history itself. this piece seeks to […].

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Best Writing Resources for History Writers

However, there are a myriad of resources you should access while you’re writing your history piece. First and among the most valuable tools are comprehensive historical databases and archives. These are a treasure of primary sources and scholarly articles. These are essential for an authentic historical narrative. Don’t forget to use academic journals as well, allowing you to enrich your perspective and depth of understanding. Lastly, utilize online forums and communities for historians and writers. They allow you to gain access to discussion, feedback, and the ability to exchange ideas. 

The Art of Historical Storytelling

A good history essay is about how you tell the story and explore different perspectives. At its core, narrative history is about finding the human element in past events. Hence, you should examine the motivations, emotions, and experiences of those who lived through these times. An excellent historical storyteller can transport readers in time. It allows them to witness significant events unfolding. 

Furthermore, narrative history often involves exploring different perspectives and voices. In particular, it consists of discussing and elaborating on the voices of those who have been marginalized. Doing so can present a more nuanced and inclusive view of the past. 

Researching the Past

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Analyzing Historical Cause and Effect

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Historical Events to Help You Become Inspired

✏️ Importance of History Writing

When you are dealing with historical events , it’s always important to find things that inspire you or something that you know well. While you can talk about the importance of the Black Lives Matter and civil rights movement essay writing or explore the great personality of President Barack Obama , you may also choose a global approach and explore the Second World War . It all comes down to what motivates you to find the new facts or add some analysis to what has already been known. As you choose your historical events subject, remember to do some research first and see what has been discussed and what aspects are rarely touched upon. It will help you stay unique and enjoy the journey. 

🗽 Important Historical Events in America

If you are located in the USA or would like to write about what has made America the land of freedom, you can explore relevant events. Here are historical events in America that are worth checking: 

• 1776 - American Revolution . Also known as the Declaration of Independence, it is one of the most important events in American history that took place on the 4th of July, 1776 in Philadelphia. The purpose of the declaration was to explain the civil rights of colonists' to revolution and the creation of the new country. 
• 1865 - The End of Civil War. While many college students know that it was Robert E. Lee who surrendered the last Confederate troops to Ulysses S Grant, you should explore the causes and the effects of the Civil War. 
• 1865, Dec 18th - Slavery is Abolished . It was the day when the Thirteens Amendment has been adopted, marking the freedom of more than 100,000 people in slavery. 
• 1941 - World War II. A truly sad date that has marked the beginning of one of the most terrible historical events in the world. You may explore the battles, personalities, and key dates that have helped to overcome fascism and bring freedom to the world. 
• 1945 - The V-E Day Marks the End of the Second World War. It's one of the most important dates in recent history as it marked the end of almost five years of war as the United States and Allied Forces made their landing. You can write about Normandy and the day of June 6, 1944. 
• 1968 - Vietnam War. Numerous Americans choose the Vietnam War as one of the subjects for essay writing on history because one can take anything from the foreign policy of the United States to the cultural and social impacts that this war has had on the Americans. 
• 1969 - On July 20, 1969, the United States mark the landing on the moon by Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. Writing about Apollo 11's mission is still the most popular among historical events for the people worldwide. 
• 2001 - 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. It is one of the recent events in American history that is always discussed and explored by students majoring in all the possible disciplines. It is often a subject of debates and personal reflective journals as this awful event has changed the lives of Americans and made national security totally different. As the world has changed as well, it’s a subject that must be treated with due respect and analysis. 
• 2007 - Presidency of Donald Trump . It’s one of those events in American history that students frequently choose to explore the difference when compared to Barack Obama and his style of presidency. 
• 2013 - The Black Lives Matter Social Movement. If you would like to focus on something more recent, it’s important to write about the BLM, which also became an essential change in our perception of social injustice and racial prejudice. 

You can also write about Facebook Twitter or the use of Apple computers which have also changed a lot in American society. Choose what inspires you or proceed with the world's historical events! 

⚔️ Most Interesting Historical Events

We all have our selection of important moments in history that we cherish, which is why you must think about something that feels close to you. While you can take a look at the 100 most important events in world history , the scope of the famous dates may keep you puzzled. It’s a reason why we have narrowed things down a little bit to help you choose: 

• The Suffrage Movement (1848-1917) . The purpose of the suffrage movement has been to allow women to vote and franchise. The British women have helped to organize the movement and set the objectives. The current followers of this movement have turned to feminism, yet the goals have been changed for equality, while the suffrage movement has been mostly focused on voting rights. 
• Discovery of the DNA (1953) . It’s hard to believe that what we know about genetics has been discovered decades ago. You can explore what has been done by James Watson and his famous assistant called Francis Crick who have helped to change history and address the world famine. 
• William Shakespeare's Birth (1564) . If there is one person who is known all over the world and has made it even to outer space with the help of Patrick Stewart and his portrayal of Jean-Luc Piccard, it's William Shakespeare. Even though Shakespeare received recognition not only after his death , there are new emerging facts that are still being discovered. You can focus on Shakespeare's attitude to love and time or explore one of his famous plays. 
• Gutenberg Printing Press (1455). This date marks the printing of the first book. It was the famous Gutenberg Bible that has been printed in Mainz in 1455. It’s also the reason why the largest free book archive online is called The Gutenberg Project! 
• October Revolution (1917). Another crucial date that has changed the world and brought an alternative to the existing notion of the world. It has marked the rise of the Communist movement and the creation of the superpower (USSR). 
• First European Settlement in North America (1565) . While this historical topic may sound purely American to you, think about the life of the First Pioneers, battles with the Indians, and the European culture that has been brought to another land. 
• Indian Independence (1947). It was a long battle that still goes on today, yet this date is an essential moment in time. You should write about the current British-Indian relations and the effect of the endless battle between the lands. 
• Start of World War I (1914) . It is one of the historical events that you should not ignore as you may use this topic for economics, politics, healthcare, culture, and many other academic subjects. 
• The invention of the Internet (1989). Tim Berners-Lee came up with the practical idea of the global network. You should not confuse with the networks that existed since the 1970s, which were at the research centers!
• The invention of Facebook (2004) . Now we won’t forget about the heritage of Mark Zuckerberg who has launched the most famous social media network. You can also write about the changes that have happened then as you talk about meta universes and the political campaigns where Facebook has helped to shape history.

👩🏽‍🏫 How to Choose a Competitive History Topic

Even if you have already been provided with a prompt and a subject that must be approached, it’s still necessary to have a look through the topics in history that relate to your subject. It will help you remain focused and see how to provide the correct wording for your future essay. If you have the freedom to choose something unique, focus on the dates and historic personalities. It will be essential for your structure as you can start with an introduction and provide your audience with the chronology of the important events. 

If you are dealing with the worldwide importance of historical events, make sure to write about the matters for your country. It will make your writing even more personal and add your author’s voice. It is also one of those tricks that help to avoid plagiarism issues or high similarity. Now let’s proceed with the inspiring ideas to consider! 

📚 Free Essays Database Collection Help

If you major in History or would like to explore historical events that are related to Law or Healthcare practices, it’s always good when you can learn by example. We have a large collection that includes free essays based on American historical events and all types of assignments. It means that you can find reflective papers or compare and contrast essays as you write your own work. When you have an example that inspires you and helps to deal with the style and formatting, things instantly become easier! So take your time to explore our free samples and choose something that fits close to your course and the given prompt. 

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How to write an introduction for a history essay

Every essay needs to begin with an introductory paragraph. It needs to be the first paragraph the marker reads.

While your introduction paragraph might be the first of the paragraphs you write, this is not the only way to do it.

You can choose to write your introduction after you have written the rest of your essay.

This way, you will know what you have argued, and this might make writing the introduction easier.

Either approach is fine. If you do write your introduction first, ensure that you go back and refine it once you have completed your essay. 

What is an ‘introduction paragraph’?

An introductory paragraph is a single paragraph at the start of your essay that prepares your reader for the argument you are going to make in your body paragraphs .

It should provide all of the necessary historical information about your topic and clearly state your argument so that by the end of the paragraph, the marker knows how you are going to structure the rest of your essay.

In general, you should never use quotes from sources in your introduction.

Introduction paragraph structure

While your introduction paragraph does not have to be as long as your body paragraphs , it does have a specific purpose, which you must fulfil.

A well-written introduction paragraph has the following four-part structure (summarised by the acronym BHES).

B – Background sentences

H – Hypothesis

E – Elaboration sentences

S - Signpost sentence

Each of these elements are explained in further detail, with examples, below:

1. Background sentences

The first two or three sentences of your introduction should provide a general introduction to the historical topic which your essay is about. This is done so that when you state your hypothesis , your reader understands the specific point you are arguing about.

Background sentences explain the important historical period, dates, people, places, events and concepts that will be mentioned later in your essay. This information should be drawn from your background research . 

Example background sentences:

Middle Ages (Year 8 Level)

Castles were an important component of Medieval Britain from the time of the Norman conquest in 1066 until they were phased out in the 15 th and 16 th centuries. Initially introduced as wooden motte and bailey structures on geographical strongpoints, they were rapidly replaced by stone fortresses which incorporated sophisticated defensive designs to improve the defenders’ chances of surviving prolonged sieges.

WWI (Year 9 Level)

The First World War began in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The subsequent declarations of war from most of Europe drew other countries into the conflict, including Australia. The Australian Imperial Force joined the war as part of Britain’s armed forces and were dispatched to locations in the Middle East and Western Europe.

Civil Rights (Year 10 Level)

The 1967 Referendum sought to amend the Australian Constitution in order to change the legal standing of the indigenous people in Australia. The fact that 90% of Australians voted in favour of the proposed amendments has been attributed to a series of significant events and people who were dedicated to the referendum’s success.

Ancient Rome (Year 11/12 Level)  

In the late second century BC, the Roman novus homo Gaius Marius became one of the most influential men in the Roman Republic. Marius gained this authority through his victory in the Jugurthine War, with his defeat of Jugurtha in 106 BC, and his triumph over the invading Germanic tribes in 101 BC, when he crushed the Teutones at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae (102 BC) and the Cimbri at the Battle of Vercellae (101 BC). Marius also gained great fame through his election to the consulship seven times.

2. Hypothesis

Once you have provided historical context for your essay in your background sentences, you need to state your hypothesis .

A hypothesis is a single sentence that clearly states the argument that your essay will be proving in your body paragraphs .

A good hypothesis contains both the argument and the reasons in support of your argument. 

Example hypotheses:

Medieval castles were designed with features that nullified the superior numbers of besieging armies but were ultimately made obsolete by the development of gunpowder artillery.

Australian soldiers’ opinion of the First World War changed from naïve enthusiasm to pessimistic realism as a result of the harsh realities of modern industrial warfare.

The success of the 1967 Referendum was a direct result of the efforts of First Nations leaders such as Charles Perkins, Faith Bandler and the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.

Gaius Marius was the most one of the most significant personalities in the 1 st century BC due to his effect on the political, military and social structures of the Roman state.

3. Elaboration sentences

Once you have stated your argument in your hypothesis , you need to provide particular information about how you’re going to prove your argument.

Your elaboration sentences should be one or two sentences that provide specific details about how you’re going to cover the argument in your three body paragraphs.

You might also briefly summarise two or three of your main points.

Finally, explain any important key words, phrases or concepts that you’ve used in your hypothesis, you’ll need to do this in your elaboration sentences.

Example elaboration sentences:

By the height of the Middle Ages, feudal lords were investing significant sums of money by incorporating concentric walls and guard towers to maximise their defensive potential. These developments were so successful that many medieval armies avoided sieges in the late period.

Following Britain's official declaration of war on Germany, young Australian men voluntarily enlisted into the army, which was further encouraged by government propaganda about the moral justifications for the conflict. However, following the initial engagements on the Gallipoli peninsula, enthusiasm declined.

The political activity of key indigenous figures and the formation of activism organisations focused on indigenous resulted in a wider spread of messages to the general Australian public. The generation of powerful images and speeches has been frequently cited by modern historians as crucial to the referendum results.

While Marius is best known for his military reforms, it is the subsequent impacts of this reform on the way other Romans approached the attainment of magistracies and how public expectations of military leaders changed that had the longest impacts on the late republican period.

4. Signpost sentence

The final sentence of your introduction should prepare the reader for the topic of your first body paragraph. The main purpose of this sentence is to provide cohesion between your introductory paragraph and you first body paragraph .

Therefore, a signpost sentence indicates where you will begin proving the argument that you set out in your hypothesis and usually states the importance of the first point that you’re about to make. 

Example signpost sentences:

The early development of castles is best understood when examining their military purpose.

The naïve attitudes of those who volunteered in 1914 can be clearly seen in the personal letters and diaries that they themselves wrote.

The significance of these people is evident when examining the lack of political representation the indigenous people experience in the early half of the 20 th century.

The origin of Marius’ later achievements was his military reform in 107 BC, which occurred when he was first elected as consul.

Putting it all together

Once you have written all four parts of the BHES structure, you should have a completed introduction paragraph. In the examples above, we have shown each part separately. Below you will see the completed paragraphs so that you can appreciate what an introduction should look like.

Example introduction paragraphs: 

Castles were an important component of Medieval Britain from the time of the Norman conquest in 1066 until they were phased out in the 15th and 16th centuries. Initially introduced as wooden motte and bailey structures on geographical strongpoints, they were rapidly replaced by stone fortresses which incorporated sophisticated defensive designs to improve the defenders’ chances of surviving prolonged sieges. Medieval castles were designed with features that nullified the superior numbers of besieging armies, but were ultimately made obsolete by the development of gunpowder artillery. By the height of the Middle Ages, feudal lords were investing significant sums of money by incorporating concentric walls and guard towers to maximise their defensive potential. These developments were so successful that many medieval armies avoided sieges in the late period. The early development of castles is best understood when examining their military purpose.

The First World War began in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The subsequent declarations of war from most of Europe drew other countries into the conflict, including Australia. The Australian Imperial Force joined the war as part of Britain’s armed forces and were dispatched to locations in the Middle East and Western Europe. Australian soldiers’ opinion of the First World War changed from naïve enthusiasm to pessimistic realism as a result of the harsh realities of modern industrial warfare. Following Britain's official declaration of war on Germany, young Australian men voluntarily enlisted into the army, which was further encouraged by government propaganda about the moral justifications for the conflict. However, following the initial engagements on the Gallipoli peninsula, enthusiasm declined. The naïve attitudes of those who volunteered in 1914 can be clearly seen in the personal letters and diaries that they themselves wrote.

The 1967 Referendum sought to amend the Australian Constitution in order to change the legal standing of the indigenous people in Australia. The fact that 90% of Australians voted in favour of the proposed amendments has been attributed to a series of significant events and people who were dedicated to the referendum’s success. The success of the 1967 Referendum was a direct result of the efforts of First Nations leaders such as Charles Perkins, Faith Bandler and the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. The political activity of key indigenous figures and the formation of activism organisations focused on indigenous resulted in a wider spread of messages to the general Australian public. The generation of powerful images and speeches has been frequently cited by modern historians as crucial to the referendum results. The significance of these people is evident when examining the lack of political representation the indigenous people experience in the early half of the 20th century.

In the late second century BC, the Roman novus homo Gaius Marius became one of the most influential men in the Roman Republic. Marius gained this authority through his victory in the Jugurthine War, with his defeat of Jugurtha in 106 BC, and his triumph over the invading Germanic tribes in 101 BC, when he crushed the Teutones at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae (102 BC) and the Cimbri at the Battle of Vercellae (101 BC). Marius also gained great fame through his election to the consulship seven times. Gaius Marius was the most one of the most significant personalities in the 1st century BC due to his effect on the political, military and social structures of the Roman state. While Marius is best known for his military reforms, it is the subsequent impacts of this reform on the way other Romans approached the attainment of magistracies and how public expectations of military leaders changed that had the longest impacts on the late republican period. The origin of Marius’ later achievements was his military reform in 107 BC, which occurred when he was first elected as consul.

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All about informative essay, how to write an informative essay on an event in history.

Writing an informative essay on an event in history is not the easiest thing to do. However, if you are willing to learn a little bit about history then you may well be able to do it. History is something that many people don’t think about as much as they should, and when people do think of it is usually in relation to wars. But there are so many different topics of interest that are actually worth learning about, and this article is going to discuss some of the topics that you should know about if you want to learn how to write an informative essay on an event in history.

In order to write an informative essay on an event in history, you first need to learn a little bit about the subject of your essay. Most people start their history writing with a broad topic. This broad topic can be anything from a general overview to a specific event. If you are writing an essay for school or for your own use then a broad topic can work for you. But if you are writing an essay for personal use or for an exam then you should think carefully about what specific events you are writing about and what types of facts and information you will include.

As you begin to learn how to write an informative essay on an event in history you will soon learn about the different types of information available. For example, in the past people only recorded information that was available to them by the moment. However, now you can get all the information in the world, but if you can’t access it when you need it then all you will get is old news.

As you study the different types of sources you will begin to see that many of the different types of information are not easily available at all. This is one of the things that makes history so interesting, and it is something that you will need to learn about if you want to know how to write an informative essay on an event in history. There are a lot of different resources available, and you will begin to learn about these resources by studying the different types of sources available.

As you start learning how to write an informative essay on an event in history you will quickly learn that there are so many different sources that are available, and the amount of information that you can get from just one source will make your head spin. So you will have to choose the right type of resource, and write your essay based on the source that you have chosen. This is something that you should do for every subject that you write about, and one of the best things that you can do is write an essay on a subject like the American Revolution and see how you can write an informative essay on an event in history based on the newspaper, on a website, on a book, on a radio show, on a television program, and so forth. You will find that there are so many different sources that you can use and you should choose the source that is the most useful and the one that you have used before and can relate well with.

Once you have learned about the different types of resources available for your topic you can begin to learn how to write an informative essay on an event in history, but you may also want to consider looking into other resources that are available online. One of the best resources that you will find online is the Internet. There are many different websites out there that will provide you with information on every topic imaginable, and you can find links to different websites that are written by historians.

As you learn how to write an informative essay on an event in history you will soon learn that you can connect with other people who have read the same books or heard the same stories that you have read, but who are living today. If you have never met someone who is like you before then you might find that you have a lot of great connections by searching for these people on the Internet.

If you find that you are interested in researching the lives of other people who are related to the people that you are looking for you might be surprised at just how many resources are available online for you to research this way. You will find that this is something that you should never stop learning about. because once you have learned about the different types of resources available, you will want to keep learning about them. As you continue to learn you will learn more about different resources and how to use these resources.

278 Interesting History Essay Topics and Events to Write about

A history class can become a jumble of years, dates, odd moments, and names of people who have been dead for centuries. Despite this, you’ll still need to find history topics to write about. You may have no choice!

But once in a while, your instructor may let you pick a history essay topic. Are you clueless about where to start? If you are, don’t worry. You’ve come to the right place! In this article, you’ll see 278 cool historical events to write about. You’ll also discover some sources for good research on our ideas.

Before you read further:

Review the professional writing services offered by our academic experts. They can surely help you with essay writing or any other assignments.

Top 10 History Essay Topics

• The US’s role in World War I.
• Child labor during the Puritan era.
• Religion during the Aztec times.
• Causes of the Battle of Germantown.
• The economic impact of the Titanic ’s sinking.
• The economic effect of the Bracero Program.
• Cultural impact of the Spanish-American War.
• Industrial Revolution’s impact on the environment.
• The goal of Protestors at the 1968 Democratic Convention.
• Women’s employment during the Great Depression.

How to Pick the Best History Essay Topic

Most of this article is devoted to listing history topics that are ideal for essays, but first, it’s important to have a simple process for using a list of possible essay topics like this.

• Before you start writing, brainstorm. Read this list. Scan lists of history essay prompts. Maybe even skim a history essay example or 2 (or 10, or 25). When you find a topic you like even a bit, write it down in your personal list. Add any other topics that come to your mind.
• Pick a topic that will satisfy your instructor and you can write well about. After you have a long list, review the assignment instructions. Then, eliminate the most inappropriate topics from your list. Lastly, reread the remaining topics. At this point, decide the topics you know enough about to write about wisely.

This 2-step process will make sure you get started on the right foot, but don’t forget the basics of sound writing. Remember these two rules. First, always plan your essay by using an outline. Second, stick to a well-structured essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion (use a 5-paragraph essay if it’s suitable).

Here’s one further tip that is notably helpful for history essays. Use Wikipedia to explore historical events that you don’t understand well. (But of course use primary sources if you are writing a true research paper.) Alternatively, if you have some keywords in mind, you can find a random topic generator for writing and see what it can offer you.

Here’s the list of history essay prompts that you’ve been waiting for.

The Ultimate List of Historical Events to Write about

• An Industrial Revolution in England essay is an excellent Industrial Revolution essay. Use this essay to explain some Industrial Revolution effects. Or perhaps give a brief but analytical overview of the Industrial Revolution timeline.
• Alternatively, you could write an Industrial Revolution in Europe essay . England was the first nation to industrialize. But it wasn’t the last. In this Industrial Revolution essay, perhaps discuss differences among European nations in industrialization. (This kind of comparative approach yields an especially fine Industrial Revolution research paper as well.)
• Or use a markedly different topic by writing a Martin Luther King essay . This key historical figure still shapes how we think about race, social justice, and the power of nonviolent protest. His death was tragic.
• One way to avoid making your essay a Martin Luther King biography is to focus on a specific event or impact of this man’s life. For example, your Martin Luther King essay could be about a specific Martin Luther King speech or quote . (But if you’re going to write about King’s famous “ I Have a Dream ” speech, make sure you have something unique to say!)
• Instead, you could write a broader Civil Rights Movement essay . In this, you must go beyond a basic Civil Rights Movement summary and focus on the meaning of this period over time or some specific change caused by it. (Again, don’t let your Civil Rights Movement essay become a Civil Rights Movement research paper.)
• You could write about another period of dramatic change in a French Revolution essay . This violent revolution filled with imprisonments, trials, and beheadings was caused by immense suffering by the poorest people in France. As such, when writing this essay, provide only a brief French Revolution summary, and focus on the impact and triggers of specific events.

• Similarly, you could write an American Revolution essay . Both events involved overthrowing a monarch, but unlike a French Revolution essay, an American Revolution essay is effectively about a war, the build up to war, and the recovery from a war.
• Perhaps your historical essay could focus on a person who was instrumental to the American Revolution . For example, consider Ben Franklin , a famous early American statesman, diplomat, scientist, and inventor.
• The War of 1812 was the conflict between America and Britain directly following the American Revolutionary War. It’s a fine essay topic for those seeking to understand early American history.
• Wars make notable topics for historical essay, but the aftermath can be even more interesting. The Weimar Republic was the terribly failed German government created after World War I. A critique of this government could be a superb essay subject.
• In contrast, post-war Vietnam has been a relative success story. The nation reunified following the defeat of South Vietnam. The modern Vietnamese people possess a higher quality of life than citizens of many nearby nations.
• You could also write about the Post-World War II 1950s . During this time, America exhibited surprising growth and prosperity. However, the United States began to wage a deadly Cold War with the USSR.
• Another quite related topic is the messy late 21 st century American foreign policy . You could focus on the rise of terrorism after America’s invasion of Iraq, the worldwide US military bases, or any number of military dictators that the US has supported. These are all very provocative topics.
• Or you could focus on a more specific military event, such as the Battle of Hastings . This battle shaped the whole history of England, as kings from continental Europe invaded English.

• The time of the Battle of Hastings was also characterized by the heavy influence of knights and feudal law in daily life. Knights were more than heavily armed warriors. They were also lords that controlled the land and subjugated peasants. This was a major cause of uprisings such as the French Revolution.
• Many medieval knights were also involved in the Crusades . This invasion of the Holy Land by European kingdoms represented a violent period. During these conquests, European nobility pillaged sacred sites and artifacts; with the goal of controlling the birthplace of their Christian faith.
• Following this time, Europe entered a period of Renaissance Humanism . Humans began to think about their humanity a bit more deeply. In doing so, many works of fine art, such as the first realistic paintings and sculptures, were produced.
• Your essay could focus on slightly later events, such as the fall of great empires . At various times in the past, nations such as Rome, China, Portugal, England, and the Holy Roman Empire controlled huge areas of our globe. Your essay could survey the implosion of these once great powers.
• The abolition of slavery is a fascinating and important historical essay topic. You may focus on this process within a single country, or you can write a comparative essay in which you compare and contrast the process of abolition across the globe or between two societies.
• Another highly relevant topic is the impact of Karl Marx . Few historical figures have had as huge an impact on society as Marx. Accordingly, you can consider how his writings were used (or abused) in a variety of nominally communist parties, movements, uprisings, and nations.
• Of course, you should always consider writing an integrative history essay . You can’t pick just one topic? Why not pick two or more! This is a nice approach for selecting compare and contrast essay topics . In this type of essay, you compare or contrast, people, events, or countries. In choosing this path, you make it possible to write a totally unique essay. The sky is the limit!
• A more human-focused approach could be an interesting hook for the paper. A paper based on the writing of the soldiers in World War I could outline what war was like at the beginning of the 20th century.

• A personal look at World War II could be just as interesting and with more available documents.
• One of the possible hooks for such papers may be the plight of the African American soldiers who fought in World War I and II .
• Another topic may be dedicated to soldiers from India who fought for the British in World War I .
• The economics of Europe after World War I may show the causes and effects that led to further conflict.
• You may dedicate your project may to the changes in fashion in the 20th century .
• More obscure topics like the Canadian history of film can make for an interesting thesis.
• American art of the 20th century is a big topic that has many interesting examples.
• History of math can show the timeline of math’s evolution.
• The conclusion of the British rule in India caused many positive and negative effects on the country which can make for an interesting project.
• The history of Roman sport provides fascinating examples of contests through the ages.
• History of architecture during renaissance can show the differences between the eras.
• Life before the invention of photography could be a topic that outlines how people preserved images back in the day.
• You can compare and contrast the history of Roman and British empires .
• Examples of music created for political causes could be an interesting hook for a music history essay.
• T he history of medicine can provide some striking facts about the bizarre antique cures.
• “What are the events that led to the fall of Roman Empire ?” is one of the more common history essay questions.
• Summary of the achievements of the American civil rights movement can provide an impression of what a dream of one man could do.
• An argumentative essay topic about the value of public communication can be chosen and created by using examples from the world history.
• A paper on the music of ancient civilizations can shine a light on prehistoric cultures.
• Your project can be about the anti-fascist activists in the US before WW II .
• It is possible for high school students to write about the events of the year when they were born .
• A thematic paper answering the question “ what started the worst wars in world history? ” could compare and contrast different wars to find similar causes and effects.
• The hippie culture of the 1960s can be presented as a response to the events of the era.
• Also, the fashion of hippies can be explored in your project with examples of real clothing.
• The New Wave movement in cinema was revolutionary for its time and can be an interesting essay topic.
• The same could be said about the New Wave genre of music that became popular in the 1980s.

• Another music genre that captured the imagination of the public can be explored in an essay on the history of rock music .
• History of propaganda in films can help explore some pivotal moments in world history.
• Canadian history of sport is an interesting topic to explain why hockey is so popular in the Great White North.
• Economics of sport throughout history may also interest the reader due to the massive commercial expansion of sport in recent decades.
• Education during the renaissance was booming and could serve as a great topic for an essay.
• Education during the middle ages was rare and could contrast the previous topic.
• The justifications that the US used for the drop of the nuclear bombs during World War II is a controversial topic but an interesting one.
• American involvement in the Korean War is an often overlooked topic, but it deserves attention.
• To show how turbulent history of a single country may be, the causes and effects of the military coups in Nigeria could be fascinating.
• The war between Iran and Iraq could be seen as one of the most critical proxy wars of the modern history.
• The space race was an iconic element of the Cold War, and it is related to many history essay topics.
• Events that led to the rise of the Saudi Arabia can show how fast a country can develop when money is not an issue.
• The British music invasion into the US market has had a significant effect on American music and can be an interesting topic.
• History of American worker unions could serve as a topical essay in today’s political climate.
• The process of reparations for the Maori people in New Zealand in a rare success story of an ex-British colonial country making up for the discrimination its natives endured.
• Roman graffiti is a lighthearted topic that describes a less discussed aspect of Roman culture.
• The gender roles of Roman society can be compared and contrasted with the gender roles of the people of Gaul that often fought each other.
• The prominent figures of the American Revolution include a great variety of people who would later compose the most important documents of the US.
• A compare and contrast essay about the similarities of American and Bolshevik revolutions can show how the most prominent opponents of the Cold War had similar beginnings.
• The history of Japanese isolationism could be interesting to explore as a unique moment in world history.
• The Millerites believed that the world would end on a specific date, but it only led to the events known as “The Great Disappointment” which could make for a great history topic.
• The Carnation Revolution of 1974 was an almost bloodless coup and represents one of the few examples of peaceful transitions to democracy.
• The golden age of piracy is an interesting topic about an era that is often glamorized in fiction.
• The Copper Country Strike was one of the most tragic cases of death due to anti-strike action, and its events are still discussed today.
• The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre was a gruesome murder committed in broad daylight and emblematic of the gangster activity of the era.
• The Yalta Conference was one of the most important events of World War II with British, Soviet, and American leaders discussing post-war plans.
• British colonization of Africa was one of the most tragic; the causes and effects of it could be interesting to examine.

• A paper on the evolution of flight could provide a timeline of marvelous engineering throughout history.
• Operation Paperclip was a secret plan to integrate scientists of Nazi Germany after the end of World War II which events lead to the beginning of the space race.
• Historical events that were predicted in fiction can be one of the more exciting history essay topics.
• African-American music history can be explored to show how oppression influenced culture.
• Biography of Julius Caesar is filled with dramatic events and is one of the most exciting history essay topics.
• Aztec life before the arrival of the colonists was filled with horrible sacrifices and deserves examination.
• The causes and effects of Manifest Destiny are bizarre and tragic by modern standards but were considered righteous in their day.
• You could compare and contrast the life of the Roman leader Julius Caesar and Nicholas II of Russia because they were almost mirrored images of each other.
• The actions of Churchill led to some of the worst defeats for the British forces during World War I , but are overshadowed by his later leadership.
• The transition from the 50s to 60s fashion can be explored to show the drastic change in the culture of those years.
• The events that led to the emergence of teenage culture after World War II can be outlined.
• The economics of international trade during the Renaissance period can be described to show the complex relationships of Europe.
• American Revolution in film rarely receives accurate portrayals. A look at its depictions can be interesting.
• A paper on the causes and effects of Cold War paranoia could show how quickly people can be overwhelmed by fear.
• Ronald Reagan’s policy of a winnable nuclear war launched a chain of events that could end the world.
• The diversity of the Roman Empire is a rarely explored topic and could lead to an interesting paper.
• Medieval medicine is a fascinating topic. It combines the ideas from Ancient Greece and Rome, pagan medicine, and many religious superstitions.
• Another interesting history topic is the history of dystopian art . In turbulent times, it may be especially fascinating to trace the development of dystopian art and see what shaped the ideas of dystopian worlds in different eras. Moreover, you may find it interesting to see the predictions about the modern era in dystopian literature and cinema.
• Medicine in the early XX century is an excellent topic for an essay. At the turn of the century, there was a major change in the way people treated medical technology , hygiene, and chemistry. Groundbreaking achievements, such as the discovery of X-rays and penicillin, shaped modern medicine as we know it.
• The history of video games is an exciting essay topic. See how video games developed from the most primitive forms into the glorious, hyper-realistic works of art that we enjoy now.
• The history of quantum mechanics is a history topic that can teach us a lot about the world around us. You can write about the groundbreaking experiments that changed the way we think about nature, and learn about great minds who were not afraid to question even the most fundamental laws of physics.
• Alternatively, you can write about the development of astronomy . Another fascinating scientific field that can show us how people in different eras were discovering the beauty and complexity of the Universe .
• Similarly, you can write about the history of evolutionary theory. All ancient cultures had their ideas about the origin of life. See how Darwin’s idea of natural selection revolutionized not just science, but human thought in general.
• Another outstanding example of a revolution of human thought is the history of psychology. From the ancient idea of spirits and possession to the groundbreaking ideas of Freud and the discovery of conditioning – see how the cultural perception of the human psyche changed over time.
• A topic closely related to the current issues, pandemics that changed history can be explored to see the effects of epidemics on nature, science, and society as a whole. It may also be interesting to write about how viral infections spread around the world.
• The history of transport is a fascinating topic. Starting from the earliest of times, humans are continually developing new ways of traveling as far and safe as possible. See how technology evolved from the discovery of a wheel to rocket science, and how it changed history and the world around us.
• The history of the punk subculture is an excellent topic for presentation. Show how punk philosophy, fashion, and music changed the culture in the U.K. and around the world.
• Another interesting research topic for high school students is the Great Depression . Learn what caused the severe economic crisis, and what socio-economic effects it had on countries all around the world.
• From the first settlements built by ex-convicts to the outbreaks of smallpox and aboriginal resistance – the history of Australia is full of dramatic events and stories that we can learn a lot from.
• Or you can choose the exploration of Africa as the subject of your history essay. The story of two extraordinary individuals in search of a path into the heart of the continent inspired the novel Heart of Darkness .
• Historical figures in Shakespeare’s plays is a great history research paper topic. You could compare the lives of real historical figures, such as Julius Caesar and Henry V , to those of their fictional counterparts.
• Voyages of Christopher Columbus is one of the most critical events in history before 1500. While the discovery of the New World had an enormous influence on the colonization era, Columbus’s legacy remains controversial.
• Or you can write an essay on Hernán Cortés , a pivotal figure in the colonization of South America. His actions against native civilizations are highly controversial, and his life story is full of myths and mysteries.
• The Civil War was the defining event in the U.S. history before 1877. It had an enormous impact on American society and led to major changes in the Constitution.
• One of the world history topics that everyone needs to know about is the culture and society of ancient Greece . Incredible art, philosophy, politics, and scientific ideas of the ancient Greeks continue to inspire us today.
• Similarly, an essay on the Greek Dark Ages can shine a light on the fall of the great civilization. It is also the period during which Homer’s famous poems Odyssey and Iliad were composed.
• Chivalry in the Middle Ages is an interesting history topic, and it is often romanticized. Learn about the chivalric code, tournaments, and epic legends about famous Medieval knights.
• Also, it may be interesting to write a world history essay on King Arthur . Explore the real events that inspired stories about the legendary British leader and the Knights of the Round Table.
• The history of Easter Island is a very intriguing history topic. You can talk about the mysteries surrounding the culture, language, and the eventual demise of the inhabitants of one of the world’s most isolated islands.
• The history of nuclear weapons is an excellent controversial topic for an essay and a discussion. The stories of research, development, and the use of atomic bombs can be used as cautionary tales for people today.
• From cave paintings and letters to telephone and the Internet – the history of communication is one of the best topics for a research paper. See how the means of communication evolved throughout human history.
• Also, the history of the Internet can be explored in your research paper. What was initially created for research and military use became one of the defining elements of modern life.
• The history of animation is an interesting topic for high school students. Learn about the evolution of animation – from the ancient Egyptian murals depicting motion to the first CGI cartoons and everything in-between.
• The history of museums has many exciting twists and turns. Discover how people of different eras were preserving art and other extraordinary objects. Also, it may be interesting to learn about the most significant art thefts in history.
• The history of cosmetics is an excellent topic for a research paper with a presentation. See how makeup was used in different eras, what it was made of, and how historical figures influenced makeup trends of the past epochs.
• Amelia Earhart is a wonderful role model whose life you can research in your history essay. She was an aviator pioneer and a best-selling author. Her disappearance in 1937 remains a mystery.
• History of Eurovision song contest is a lighthearted topic with serious political undertones. It was originally intended to unite all countries of post-war Europe in one song contest, broadcast live on television.
• The history of theater is a fascinating subject for a research paper. Theater first appeared in Ancient Greece, went through significant changes during the Renaissance, and it remains a popular art form that covers many genres.
• The history of the death penalty is an interesting topic for an essay that you can have a discussion about. The death penalty has a fascinating and gruesome history and remains a controversial subject even today.
• You can write an outstanding research paper on the history of whaling . People have been hunting whales since prehistoric times for various reasons, including perfume and candle manufacturing.
• Another exciting world history topic is Gold Rush . While the California Gold Rush is by far the most famous, there were many other cases throughout history, dating as far back as ancient Egypt.
• One of the more mysterious history topics that you can write about is Stonehenge . This majestic stone structure has been for a long time associated with druids. The latest discoveries suggest that it was used as an observatory.
• Maybe an even more mysterious history research paper topic is the Pyramids of Egypt . The only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, they are some of the largest structures ever built, and their history remains intriguing.
• Or you can choose to write about all the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World ! They are remarkable buildings and constructions, all but one of which are entirely destroyed, and some are speculated to have never existed.
• Similarly, you can write a paper on other beautiful buildings, such as the picturesque Machu Picchu. An iconic citadel of the Inca civilization, it is now considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
• A paper on Joan of Arc can show how one extraordinary individual is capable of changing the course of history. Her life is surrounded by many legends, and she remains a popular subject in art.
• Similarly, you can write about Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and what impact it had on the entire American nation. Delivered during the Civil War, it is considered to be the greatest speech ever.
• A history research paper on feminism could provide a timeline of the fight for equality. Closely connected to the current issues, this topic covers everything from the women’s suffrage movement to the modern Women’s Marches.
• One of the most exciting history topics that everyone needs to know about is the Minoan Civilization – the first highly advanced society in Europe. You can talk about its discovery in the late XIX, the incredible art of Knossos, and its numerous legends, including the famous Labyrinth.
• You can choose to write an essay on history of Indigenous Australians . The timeline of first humans populating Australia is full of mysteries, and their culture remains fascinating.
• An interesting essay can be written on the earliest universities. They were founded long before 1500 in Asia and Africa for educating government officials, and are a fascinating subject to explore.
• You can write an exciting research paper on Alexandria – a city in Egypt founded by Alexander the Great. In ancient times, it was a city like no other, and had an enormous influence on the Mediterranean culture.
• Middle Ages are full of interesting history topics – for example, you can choose to write about medieval magic. From alchemy and astrology to inquisition and witch trials, it’s an existing subject to explore.
• One of the best topics on the history of explorations is the North Pole expeditions . It is full of dramatic events, and it took numerous failed attempts until the North Pole was finally reached in the XX century.
• The first English settlements in America are among the essential parts of the U.S. history before 1877. It includes stories of hardships of the first settlers, bad weather, hunger, and conflicts with native inhabitants.
• Napoleon is an incredibly interesting historical figure. You can write a stunning paper on the rise and fall of his empire.

• You can focus on a specific era in your essay – for example, Victorian England. This period of history, both fascinating and terrifying, still inspires countless novels, movies, and T.V. series.
• Titanic is an excellent topic for an essay and a discussion. A cautionary tale about a luxurious ship that sank due to criminal negligence.
• Death of the Romanovs is an interesting history topic that is still being investigated. This gruesome story inspired many myths, including that of the survival of Anastasia.
• Similarly, you can choose an essay on the assassination of J.F. Kennedy . Learn about what caused it and what long-term effects it had on the American nation.
• Similarly, the assassination of Martin Luther King was an enormous tragedy for the whole country. The circumstances of this event are still not entirely clear, and there are several different theories as to what happened.
• Chernobyl disaster is a fascinating topic that is very popular today. See what led to the tragedy, and what long-term consequences it had on nature and society.
• The fall of the Berlin Wall is a crucial event in modern history. You can write about life in GDR and FRG prior to the fall of the Wall and compare it to what happened afterward.
• Another history topic that you can choose for your essay is the history of berserkers. These Old Norse warriors were fighting in what’s often described as a trans-like state, and their name became synonymous with uncontrolled rage.
• Education in the modern world. The new opportunities of the globalized world influence quality and expectations towards studying. A historical essay can analyze the significant inventions that impacted education. For example, you may focus on the Internet .
• South African Apartheid . The racial segregation regime threw South Africa into poverty and conflicts. Your essay might discuss the historical events that led it. Or you can trace the Apartheid’s timeline from setting to abolishment.
• The founding of the United Nations . The organization’s support of equal human rights is crucial for modern society. The history of the UN is a broad topic with many key events. You may also study the influence of countries such as the USSR on its establishment.
• Cultural trends during World War II. Music, fashion, and art reflected humanity’s hopes and fears of the world. They also supported people when life was tough. In a research paper, you can choose and describe specific examples. Discuss the impact of entertainment during that period, or compare it to World War I.
• The creation of the United States’ Constitution is an interesting US history essay topic. The road to the first national frame of government includes many events. You can analyze the contents of the original Constitution articles based on their drafts.
• Changes in European economies following the discovery of America. After Columbus’ return from his journey, the most powerful empires started to occupy new lands. Later, economic progress led the world to its current conditions. An essay that highlights these milestones can be fascinating!
• Fight against terrorism. After September 11, 2001, the world enforced its war on terrorism. Governments applied measures such as peacemaking interventions to unstable areas. A historical assignment might include the most significant attacks. You can also discuss the UN’s campaigns against terrorism under this topic.
• Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The attacks were crucial events that finished World War II . Your essay might address the events that led to the attacks. Discuss if there could have been other ways of stopping Japan’s aggression.
• Urbanization in the US is an interesting essay topic. The most significant change took place in the 19th century. The railroads connected the whole country, and trading opportunities grew. Discuss why people moved from rural areas to cities and the consequences of it.
• History of railroads in the United States. Broad territories were the major obstacles to American economic development. In 1827, the first railway journey took place in the US. The roads were rapidly built during the following century. A discussion these events is a fun historical assignment topic.
• Immigration and scientific progress in the 20th century. Back then, thousands of Europeans were forced to migrate to the US. Many of them were responsible for important discoveries and inventions. Discuss its effect of immigration on science and technology in a historical essay.
• The three most important inventions of the 19th century. The 1800s are full of creations that changed humanity’s history. Typewriters, bicycles, and telephones were first made in that period. For an essay, you can pick the inventions based on their historical value.
• The stock market crash in 1929 was the worst experience for the industrialized world at the time. Entertainment during the Great Depression played an essential role in supporting America. It is also an interesting historical topic to write about.
• The history behind today’s foreign affairs . Despite prolonged peace, governments still have political disagreements. Choose two conflicting countries and identify the events that led to the current situation.
• The history of the LGBTQ community in the United States. Modern American society praises equity and respects the rights of minority groups. However, it wasn’t always like this. LGBTQ is a broad discussion topic influenced by past events. It might also be interesting to compare the US community to the European one.
• The global financial crisis of 2008 is a great modern history essay topic . An economy can crash for multiple reasons. If it happens worldwide, the effects are severe. An argumentative essay can be a basis for analyzing the causes of the crisis. Compare it to other economic disasters such as the Great Depression.
• Cultural progress led humanity to important social developments. One of them is the legalization of same-sex marriages . Historical analysis can include a timeline of such marriages. Social activism related to the topic is an excellent basis for an essay.
• The Holocaust. One of the darkest events in the 20th century’s history is the European Jews’ genocide. Analyze the chain of events leading to it in a historical essay. How did it impact human rights enforcement during the post-war period?
• Space exploration in the 21st century is a historical topic that develops right now. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin was founded in 2000, and Elon Musk started SpaceX in 2002. An essay can highlight the milestones of space exploration after the Cold War.
• The history of Thanksgiving. Pilgrims established the holiday based on celebrating the harvest. Discuss the tradition’s roots and the impact of English colonists on American culture. An essay can also describe similar feasts around the world.
• Another good history essay topic is Antarctica. The impactful exploration of ice lands only began in the late 19th century. Today, scientists study Antarctica’s land, resources, and animals. Trace the past events and discoveries of the region in your historical essay.
• The history of infections. Our lives have changed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were similar events in the past, where plague and flu diseases killed millions of people. A comparison can help you learn about the development of today’s healthcare practices.
• Women’s suffrage . In August 1920, the US Congress ratified the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote. Many campaigns and protests preceded the event. The perception of women by society started transforming since then. An essay might describe the challenges leading to these changes.
• History of the Olympic Games is a fascinating topic for middle school . The legacy of ancient Greece was revived only in the 19th century. Study the events that took place throughout the Olympic Games’ history.
• If you need a world history essay topic, try writing about the International Red Cross . In 1863, Swiss businessman Henry Dunant established the Red Cross. He was influenced by the terrifying experience of seeing thousands of wounded men at war. A persuasive essay can highlight the organization’s historical importance.
• Weapon development during World War II . Military weapons contributed to technological progress in the 20th century. A research paper might focus on the weapons invented during the War. You can also discuss the impact of military innovations on post-war life.
• An essay on Korean history can analyze how one nation can change if divided into separate regimes. North and South Korea started making peace only in 2018. Try and determine the reasons for the 1948 separation and political instability.
• Ku Klux Klan as a resistance movement is an important topic. Four million citizens nationwide joined the group in the 1920s. Such popularity revealed the demand for change. Your historical essay might include crucial outcomes of Klan’s activities. A comparison to the medieval inquisition might lead to interesting conclusions.
• Globalization is another excellent history essay topic for high school students. The world has never had so many cultural and economic connections as it does today. Your essay can go through historical events that caused globalization. Or, you may analyze its benefits and downsides.
• History of climate change . In 2009, the UN Climate Change Conference stated that the world is in danger due to human impact on climate. A historical essay can focus on the environmental factors of the topic. Alternatively, you may trace the discoveries and studies about climate change.
• Labor Day is a national holiday first celebrated in the industrial era. It originated in the 19th century when workers spent 12 hours daily to earn the minimum wage. In your historical essay, describe the events that led to the holiday’s creation.
• The history of the American presidency is a broad topic to write about. More than 40 people ruled the country and impacted all facets of America. For example, you may choose to evaluate education under different presidents. You can also compare democrats and republicans as presidents.
• Gutenberg’s printing press invention changed the world. It was as significant in the 15th century as the Internet was for modern history. An essay can reconstruct the events before and after the invention of printing. Its impact on education and the economy are interesting points for discussion.
• The European Union has deep historical roots since the Empire period. An essay about it might cover the timeline of democracy established in Europe. You can highlight the changes that took place in the countries that joined the Union. Alternatively, compare the organization and its aims to other historical alliances.
• Modern religions are an intriguing subject for an essay. Historical events often shape peoples’ beliefs. Discuss why people started updating the main religions in recent decades.
• Population resettlement took place multiple times in human history. For example, thousands of Serbian Albanians were forced to flee Kosovo during the 1999 conflict. An essay that describes a migration can include the reasons for it. Compare it to similar occurrences, and discuss its outcomes.
• Ancient architecture is the most incredible legacy cherished by generations. Design patterns and colors of creations reflect the periods they were built in. For your essay, choose specific examples and mention the events associated with them. Research can include ancient European, Asian, or American architecture.
• Socialism as a political regime significantly impacted world history. Socialist movements took place in Europe and the United States. The Soviet Union was established under its conditions. Choose this interesting 20th-century essay topic and describe a country affected by socialism. For example, China is still ruled by that regime.
• History of democracy in Africa . African history includes centuries of foreign occupation. Yet, its countries have recently started getting deserved independence. Algeria, Morocco, Namibia, and Zimbabwe only got their democratic government in the last 60 years. Historical research can analyze the influence of ex-colonizers on Africa. Or, you may choose a country to describe its journey from a colony to a democracy.
• History of South American countries. Colonizers occupied the regions in South America after Columbus’ journey. You can discuss the conflicts between the land’s native inhabitants and migrants. A research paper may also reveal how the nations were formed by combing two different populations.
• The history behind the petroleum industry is an interesting basis for an essay. Oil defines the UAE and Russia’s economies and has significant influence in politics. Study the formation of the world’s oil industry, or choose one country to explore.
• History of Native American tribes. More than 500 groups of Indigenous Americans lived in the US territories. Each had its own culture and policies. For your essay, gather information about conflicts between the natives and migrants.
• History of vaccination. The development of this practice is an interesting essay topic. You can review the timeline, starting from the 1798 smallpox vaccine.
• History of China. Write an essay that explores the most significant events of the country’s history. An interesting idea is to compare it to other major countries. Moreover, you can discuss the Chinese presence in the World Wars by analyzing its strategies.
• Events that affected the environment. There are many examples of history playing against nature. Think of nuclear bomb explosions, rapid industrialization of the 19th century, and deforestation. Your essay might analyze several such events and provide lessons for the future.
• The history behind popular foods . Migration and global trading helped humanity discover chocolate , potatoes, and coffee . A historical essay can focus on one product and describe what made it famous.
• The Vikings played a significant role in European history. Scandinavians still cherish their traditions and unique culture. Your research might be about their settlements in Scotland, France, and Ireland. Also, you can describe the unique worldview of the Vikings.
• Ancient piracy covers many themes that you can mention in an essay. The first pirates were the Sea Peoples in the 14th century BC. Today, the pirates still exist in politically unstable regions such as Somalia . Your historical paper can include the most significant acts of piracy in ancient times.
• History of money . People have been exchanging goods throughout history. Yet in 770s BC, the Chinese invented the ultimate trading product— money . The historical timeline of the financial systems is an excellent topic for an essay.

Other History Essay Topics

• European motives for expansion & colonization in New World
• “Birth of Modernity” of Renaissance
• Racial tensions and immigration in California
• Gandhi’s innovative renovation of tradition explained
• Colonists’ actions in the pre-revolutionary era
• The French Revolution an outcome of Enlightenment ideas
• The autobiography of St. Ignatius
• Land disputes between native American groups and the United States
• The 1930s generation of Soviet spies and operatives
• The Tea Act and the Coercive Acts: Britain and the colonies
• The Middle Ages as the “Dark Ages”
• The making of the modern Middle East: term definition
• The uniqueness of World War One
• Social structure and lifestyles of the 1960s counterculture
• Depression period and new deal legislation
• United States’ policy of isolationism since the 19th century
• History: Abraham Lincoln’s address in Gettysburg
• The use of armed forces by the United States and its effect
• Radical republicans during the Reconstruction era
• Lincoln’s vs. Davis’ administrations during the war
• Civil War’s impact on Northern and Southern economies
• Consumerism critique in the 1950s-70s
• Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction and opposition to it
• Women and blacks’ participation in the Civil War
• War of 1812: reasons and outcomes for native communities
• The causes of the Protestant reformation
• Palestinian Liberation Organization’s history
• Ethnographic sketch of Brazilians
• British colonization of America and its results
• What was the purpose of Lee’s plan on Gettysburg?
• The leaders of command for the modern war in 1864
• What did George Washington Thanksgiving proclamation state?
• Post-WWII events that caused loss of faith in American way
• European groups’ motives to migrate to America
• Industrial economics and its social impact on Britain
• Refugee definition development in the 20th century
• Positive things to learn from Medieval culture
• Scientific revolution in Western European civilization
• The Spanish-American war: definition and facts
• The role of violence in the America’s expansion
• Protestant Reformation leaders & Catholic Church’s response
• Asian studies: Takahashi Mutsuo’s “The Snow of Memory”
• Colonization of freedmen: arguments for and against
• Major milestones of the Kyoto treaty and Montreal Protocol
• Progressive Era & New Deal outsiders and corporate ownership
• American progressive movement and its participants
• Steel industry & American history changes in the 1890-1920s
• Anarchist & socialist movements and terrorism
• What is the Third Estate? What role did it play in Revolution?
• The Islamic revolution of 1979 and its main causes
• Conservatism in American life from 1968 to the present
• African American Civil Rights Movement in 1950-1980
• Second World War and the end of colonial rule in Africa
• The main reasons of the American Civil War
• Alexander Graham Bell’s most important day
• History of gangs in America and Utah
• Civil Rights vs. Black Lives Matter movement
• Latin America: national issues
• American ancient people and Skull Wars
• Historical events in history of white people of America
• Reasons of Confederacy’s defeat during Civil War
• Tombs Egypt during the period of 3200 BC to 1200 BC
• Republican Reconstruction and its achievements
• Christians-Rome relationship: persons and events
• Lincoln’s answer to the Emancipation question
• US women’s rights movements in 1850-1900
• The Eighteenth Amendment and Volstead Act
• Japan, China, and the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century
• Capital punishment and African Americans
• Industrial growth during the last 100 years in the US

These are a tiny handful of the wide array of topics that you can write about for history class. When in doubt, always solicit opinions from your professor. (The worst case scenario is that they say no.)

Most importantly:

Remember, the analysis of historical events is subjective. Two scholars may have vastly unique explanations for a series of historical events unfolding the way they did. Accordingly, try to write from the perspective that your instructors most likely hold. And if you’re unsure, ask them to review a first draft of your essay, or at least talk to them about your thesis statement!

You might also be interested in:

• A List of History Websites for a Perfect Research
• World War 2 Essay Example + Argumentative Topics
• Essay on India after Independence: How-to Guide and Prompts
• 497 Interesting History Topics to Research
• A List of 212 Brilliant Research Proposal Topics to Investigate
• 350 Powerful Feminism & Women’s Rights Topics [2024]
• 430 Philosophy Topics & Questions for Your Essay
• 229 Good Dissertation Topics and Thesis Ideas for Ph.D. & Masters

Historical Essay FAQ

Students are often asked to write on historical topics. Such an essay can be:

1. A description of a persona; 2. An analysis of historical events; 3. An overview of the context of the whole epoch, etc.

In any case, a historical essay deals with a retrospective and requires looking into history.

There are countless interesting topics for essays and research projects. You can look into any epoch from the ancient times up to the present days. Choose something that genuinely fascinates you. You might prefer a controversial issue as it is more exciting to study.

For any research paper, it is essential to create an outline first. Once you’ve identified some key aspects that you want to focus on, write them as bullet points. They will become the Body of your research paper. Don’t forget to add an introduction and a conclusion.

Whether you write about the World, the civil, the cold, the Vietnam, or any other war, be sure to stay as objective as possible. It is a very emotionally charged topic, but you need to refrain from opinionated judgments. Do not resort to direct accusations.

• Prewriting: Techniques to Get Started – Outlining: University of Maryland Global Campus
• Understanding the Subjective Nature of History
• Writing Cause and Effect Papers
• One Hundred Good Research Paper Topics for History Class
• History Topics
• Modern History Resources
• Research Paper Topics About United States History
• The Importance of History Essay
• The Foundation of History
• What is History Essay Examples
• Index: American History
• World History: Encyclopedia Britannica
• Historical Topics: Library of Congress
• American History: Smithsonian Institution
• Political History: Historians.org
• Primary Sources on History: Gale
• History of the UN: United Nations
• Ancient History Encyclopedia: Index
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How to Write an Informative Speech

Last Updated: April 30, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,393,479 times.

An informative speech tells an audience about a process, event, or concept. Whether you’re explaining how to grow a garden or describing a historical event, writing an informative speech is pretty straightforward. Knowing the topic inside and out is key, so start by conducting thorough research. Organize your speech logically so your audience can easily follow, and keep your language clear. Since speeches are recited out loud, be sure to set aside time after writing to perfect your delivery.

Researching the Topic

• Suppose your prompt instructs you to inform the audience about a hobby or activity. Make a list of your clubs, sports, and other activities, and choose the one that interests you most. Then zoom in on one particular aspect or process to focus on in your speech.
• For instance, if you like tennis, you can’t discuss every aspect of the sport in a single speech. Instead, you could focus on a specific technique, like serving the ball.

• For example, if your speech is about a historical event, find primary sources, like letters or newspaper articles published at the time of the event. Additionally, include secondary sources, such as scholarly articles written by experts on the event.
• If you’re informing the audience about a medical condition, find information in medical encyclopedias, scientific journals, and government health websites.

Tip: Organize your sources in a works cited page. Even if the assignment doesn’t require a works cited page, it’ll help you keep track of your sources. [3] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

• For instance, if your speech is on growing plants from seeds, explain the process step-by-step to a friend or relative. Ask them if any parts in your explanation seemed muddy or vague.
• Break down the material into simple terms, especially if you’re addressing a non-expert audience. Think about how you’d describe the topic to a grandparent or younger sibling. If you can’t avoid using jargon, be sure to define technical words in clear, simple terms.

• For example, if your speech is on the poet Charles Baudelaire, a strong thesis would be, “I am here to explain how city life and exotic travel shaped the key poetic themes of Charles Baudelaire’s work.”
• While the goal of an informative speech isn't to make a defensible claim, your thesis still needs to be specific. For instance, “I’m going to talk about carburetors” is vague. “My purpose today is to explain how to take apart a variable choke carburetor” is more specific.

• For instance, a speech meant to persuade an audience to support a political stance would most likely include examples of pathos, or persuasive devices that appeal to the audience's emotions.
• On the other hand, an informative speech on how to grow pitcher plants would present clear, objective steps. It wouldn't try to argue that growing pitcher plants is great or persuade listeners to grow pitcher plants.

Drafting Your Speech

• Delivering memorized remarks instead of reading verbatim is more engaging. A section of a speaking outline would look like this: III. YMCA’s Focus on Healthy Living  A. Commitment to overall health: both body and mind  B. Programs that support commitment   1. Annual Kid’s Day   2. Fitness facilities   3. Classes and group activities

• For example, you could begin with, “Have you ever wondered how a figure skater could possibly jump, twist, and land on the thin blade of an ice skate? From proper technique to the physical forces at play, I’ll explain how world-class skaters achieve jaw-dropping jumps and spins.”
• Once you've established your purpose, preview your speech: “After describing the basic technical aspects of jumping, I’ll discuss the physics behind jumps and spins. Finally, I’ll explain the 6 types of jumps and clarify why some are more difficult than others.”
• Some people prefer to write the speech's body before the introduction. For others, writing the intro first helps them figure out how to organize the rest of the speech.

• For instance, if your speech is about the causes of World War I, start by discussing nationalism in the years prior to the war. Next, describe the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, then explain how alliances pulled the major players into open warfare.
• Transition smoothly between ideas so your audience can follow your speech. For example, write, “Now that we’ve covered how nationalism set the stage for international conflict, we can examine the event that directly led to the outbreak of World War I: the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. [11] X Research source

• For instance, your conclusion could point out, “Examining the factors that set the stage for World War I shows how intense nationalism fueled the conflict. A century after the Great War, the struggle between nationalism and globalism continues to define international politics in the twenty-first century.”

• Typically, speeches aren’t read verbatim. Instead, you’ll memorize the speech and use a bare bones outline to stay on track.

Avoid information overload: When you compose your speech, read out loud as you write. Focus on keeping your sentence structures simple and clear. Your audience will have a hard time following along if your language is too complicated. [14] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source

Perfecting Your Delivery

• While it’s generally okay to use slightly different phrasing, try to stick to your complete outline as best you can. If you veer off too much or insert too many additional words, you could end up exceeding your time limit.
• Keep in mind your speaking outline will help you stay focused. As for quotes and statistics, feel free to write them on your notecards for quick reference.

Memorization tip: Break up the speech into smaller parts, and memorize it section by section. Memorize 1 sentence then, when you feel confident, add the next. Continue practicing with gradually longer passages until you know the speech like the back of your hand.

• Instead of slouching, stand up tall with your shoulders back. In addition to projecting confidence, good posture will help you breathe deeply to support your voice.

• Have them point out any spots that dragged or seemed disorganized. Ask if your tone was engaging, if you used body language effectively, and if your volume, pitch, and pacing need any tweaks.

• If you keep exceeding the time limit, review your complete sentence outline. Cut any fluff and simplify complicated phrases. If your speech isn’t long enough, look for areas that could use more detail or consider adding another section to the body.
• Just make sure any content you add is relevant. For instance, if your speech on nationalism and World War I is 2 minutes too short, you could add a section about how nationalism manifested in specific countries, including Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Serbia.

Sample Informative Speeches

Expert Q&A

• You're probably much better at informative speeches than you think! If you have ever told your parents about your day at school or explained to a friend how to make chicken noodle soup, you already have experience giving an informative speech! Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you get nervous, try to relax, take deep breaths, and visualize calming scenery. Remember, there’s nothing to worry about. Just set yourself up for success by knowing the material and practicing. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• When composing your speech, take your audience into consideration, and tailor your speech to the people you’re addressing. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-realworldcomm/chapter/11-1-informative-speeches/
• ↑ https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s11-01-informative-speeches.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_page_basic_format.html
• ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/11-1-informative-speeches/
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/informative-speaking
• ↑ https://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/337550
• ↑ Lynn Kirkham. Public Speaking Coach. Expert Interview. 20 November 2019.
• ↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/oralcommunication/guides/how-to-outline-a-speech
• ↑ https://wac.colostate.edu/resources/writing/guides/informative-speaking/
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/structuring-speech
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/speeches/
• ↑ https://www.speechanddebate.org/wp-content/uploads/High-School-Competition-Events-Guide.pdf
• ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/10-4-physical-delivery/

About This Article

To write an informative speech, start with an introduction that will grab your audience's attention and give them an idea of where the rest of your speech is headed. Next, choose 3 important points that you want to make to form the body of your speech. Then, organize the points in a logical order and write content to address each point. Finally, write a conclusion that summarizes the main points and ends with a message that you want your audience to take away from it. For tips on researching topics for an informative speech, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How can you write an informative essay about a historical event?How can you write an informative essay about a historical event?

Expert-verified answer.

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To write an informative essay about a historical event, start by choosing the historical event.

How to write an essay in history ?

The first step is to choose a historical event that you are interested in and that you have some knowledge about. Once you have chosen a historical event, you need to do your research. This means reading books, articles, and other sources about the event.

Once you have done your research , you need to organize your information . Be sure to start with an introduction that introduces the historical event and states your thesis statement. In the body paragraphs, you should provide evidence to support your thesis statement.

Find out more on essays at brainly.com/question/30395667

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Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot – your copilot for work

Mar 16, 2023 | Jared Spataro - CVP, AI at Work

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Humans are hard-wired to dream, to create, to innovate. Each of us seeks to do work that gives us purpose — to write a great novel, to make a discovery, to build strong communities, to care for the sick. The urge to connect to the core of our work lives in all of us. But today, we spend too much time consumed by the drudgery of work on tasks that zap our time, creativity and energy. To reconnect to the soul of our work, we don’t just need a better way of doing the same things. We need a whole new way to work.

Today, we are bringing the power of next-generation AI to work. Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot — your copilot for work . It combines the power of large language models (LLMs) with your data in the Microsoft Graph and the Microsoft 365 apps to turn your words into the most powerful productivity tool on the planet.

“Today marks the next major step in the evolution of how we interact with computing, which will fundamentally change the way we work and unlock a new wave of productivity growth,” said Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “With our new copilot for work, we’re giving people more agency and making technology more accessible through the most universal interface — natural language.”

Copilot is integrated into Microsoft 365 in two ways. It works alongside you, embedded in the Microsoft 365 apps you use every day — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and more — to unleash creativity, unlock productivity and uplevel skills. Today we’re also announcing an entirely new experience: Business Chat . Business Chat works across the LLM, the Microsoft 365 apps, and your data — your calendar, emails, chats, documents, meetings and contacts — to do things you’ve never been able to do before. You can give it natural language prompts like “Tell my team how we updated the product strategy,” and it will generate a status update based on the morning’s meetings, emails and chat threads.

With Copilot, you’re always in control. You decide what to keep, modify or discard. Now, you can be more creative in Word, more analytical in Excel, more expressive in PowerPoint, more productive in Outlook and more collaborative in Teams.

Microsoft 365 Copilot transforms work in three ways:

Unleash creativity. With Copilot in Word, you can jump-start the creative process so you never start with a blank slate again. Copilot gives you a first draft to edit and iterate on — saving hours in writing, sourcing, and editing time. Sometimes Copilot will be right, other times usefully wrong — but it will always put you further ahead. You’re always in control as the author, driving your unique ideas forward, prompting Copilot to shorten, rewrite or give feedback. Copilot in PowerPoint helps you create beautiful presentations with a simple prompt, adding relevant content from a document you made last week or last year. And with Copilot in Excel, you can analyze trends and create professional-looking data visualizations in seconds.

Unlock productivity. We all want to focus on the 20% of our work that really matters, but 80% of our time is consumed with busywork that bogs us down. Copilot lightens the load. From summarizing long email threads to quickly drafting suggested replies, Copilot in Outlook helps you clear your inbox in minutes, not hours. And every meeting is a productive meeting with Copilot in Teams. It can summarize key discussion points — including who said what and where people are aligned and where they disagree — and suggest action items, all in real time during a meeting. And with Copilot in Power Platform, anyone can automate repetitive tasks, create chatbots and go from idea to working app in minutes.

GitHub data shows that Copilot promises to unlock productivity for everyone. Among developers who use GitHub Copilot, 88% say they are more productive, 74% say that they can focus on more satisfying work, and 77% say it helps them spend less time searching for information or examples.

But Copilot doesn’t just supercharge individual productivity. It creates a new knowledge model for every organization — harnessing the massive reservoir of data and insights that lies largely inaccessible and untapped today. Business Chat works across all your business data and apps to surface the information and insights you need from a sea of data — so knowledge flows freely across the organization, saving you valuable time searching for answers. You will be able to access Business Chat from Microsoft 365.com, from Bing when you’re signed in with your work account, or from Teams.

Uplevel skills. Copilot makes you better at what you’re good at and lets you quickly master what you’ve yet to learn. The average person uses only a handful of commands — such as “animate a slide” or “insert a table” — from the thousands available across Microsoft 365. Now, all that rich functionality is unlocked using just natural language. And this is only the beginning.

Copilot will fundamentally change how people work with AI and how AI works with people. As with any new pattern of work, there’s a learning curve — but those who embrace this new way of working will quickly gain an edge.

The Copilot System: Enterprise-ready AI

Microsoft is uniquely positioned to deliver enterprise-ready AI with the Copilot System . Copilot is more than OpenAI’s ChatGPT embedded into Microsoft 365. It’s a sophisticated processing and orchestration engine working behind the scenes to combine the power of LLMs, including GPT-4, with the Microsoft 365 apps and your business data in the Microsoft Graph — now accessible to everyone through natural language.

Grounded in your business data. AI-powered LLMs are trained on a large but limited corpus of data. The key to unlocking productivity in business lies in connecting LLMs to your business data — in a secure, compliant, privacy-preserving way. Microsoft 365 Copilot has real-time access to both your content and context in the Microsoft Graph. This means it generates answers anchored in your business content — your documents, emails, calendar, chats, meetings, contacts and other business data — and combines them with your working context — the meeting you’re in now, the email exchanges you’ve had on a topic, the chat conversations you had last week — to deliver accurate, relevant, contextual responses.

Built on Microsoft’s comprehensive approach to security, compliance and privacy. Copilot is integrated into Microsoft 365 and automatically inherits all your company’s valuable security, compliance, and privacy policies and processes. Two-factor authentication, compliance boundaries, privacy protections, and more make Copilot the AI solution you can trust.

Architected to protect tenant, group and individual data. We know data leakage is a concern for customers. Copilot LLMs are not trained on your tenant data or your prompts. Within your tenant, our time-tested permissioning model ensures that data won’t leak across user groups. And on an individual level, Copilot presents only data you can access using the same technology that we’ve been using for years to secure customer data.

Integrated into the apps millions use every day. Microsoft 365 Copilot is integrated in the productivity apps millions of people use and rely on every day for work and life — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and more. An intuitive and consistent user experience ensures it looks, feels and behaves the same way in Teams as it does in Outlook, with a shared design language for prompts, refinements and commands.

Designed to learn new skills.  Microsoft 365 Copilot’s foundational skills are a game changer for productivity: It can already create, summarize, analyze, collaborate and automate using your specific business content and context. But it doesn’t stop there. Copilot knows how to command apps (e.g., “animate this slide”) and work across apps, translating a Word document into a PowerPoint presentation. And Copilot is designed to learn new skills. For example, with Viva Sales, Copilot can learn how to connect to CRM systems of record to pull customer data — like interaction and order histories — into communications. As Copilot learns about new domains and processes, it will be able to perform even more sophisticated tasks and queries.

Committed to building responsibly

At Microsoft, we are guided by our AI principles and Responsible AI Standard and decades of research on AI, grounding and privacy-preserving machine learning. A multidisciplinary team of researchers, engineers and policy experts reviews our AI systems for potential harms and mitigations — refining training data, filtering to limit harmful content, query- and result-blocking sensitive topics, and applying Microsoft technologies like InterpretML and Fairlearn to help detect and correct data bias. We make it clear how the system makes decisions by noting limitations, linking to sources, and prompting users to review, fact-check and adjust content based on subject-matter expertise.

Moving boldly as we learn  

In the months ahead, we’re bringing Copilot to all our productivity apps—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, Viva, Power Platform, and more. We’ll share more on pricing and licensing soon. Earlier this month we announced Dynamics 365 Copilot as the world’s first AI Copilot in both CRM and ERP to bring the next-generation AI to every line of business.

Everyone deserves to find purpose and meaning in their work — and Microsoft 365 Copilot can help. To serve the unmet needs of our customers, we must move quickly and responsibly, learning as we go. We’re testing Copilot with a small group of customers to get feedback and improve our models as we scale, and we will expand to more soon.

Learn more on the Microsoft 365 blog and visit WorkLab to get expert insights on how AI will create a brighter future of work for everyone.

And for all the blogs, videos and assets related to today’s announcements, please visit our microsite .

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