Press Corps

The talent show was a fun event that sought to find the best performance at the International History Olympiad. Rather than medals, it presented trophies to the top three contestants in all age divisions. Participants told jokes, sang, presented videos, and did much more throughout this event. We had 9 great acts on stage with wonderful performers. Congratulations to the following winners!   Gold (1st Place) - Ava Bitler (Puerto Rico) - Junior Varsity - Singing Silver (2nd Place) - Jack Dixon (Indiana) - Varsity - [...]

The Art History Bee combined visual and written elements to create a unique competition enjoyed by a range of divisions, from Elementary to Varsity.  The competition focused not on rote memorization, but the genuine knowledge of the pieces necessary to answer the tossups correctly. For example, while one might know how a work was created, when, and who the artist is, they will need to know specific details about the work to answer the tossup correctly. Additionally, the Art History Bee does not merely ask players [...]

The American Indian History Exam featured tribes from across North America, including the First Nations, Cherokee, and Maya. The exam was taken by seven Varsity students, six Junior Varsity students, fourteen Middle School students, and eighteen Elementary students. It had seventy-five questions, with the standard point system of two points for a correct answer, negative one points for an incorrect answer, and no points for an unanswered question. The highest score in all divisions was seventy-eight points, from Varsity competitor Cooper Roh. However, exam scores over [...]

On July 29, four days into the International History Olympiad, the Pop Music History Bee occurred. While many events of the International History Olympiad have been primarily focused on aspects of military history, social history, etc., the Pop Music History Bee focuses on a different area of history: cultural. This form of culture is not what one typically considers “history”, but the music of a culture often has a major importance in the society. For example, in many American Indian traditions, music is closely connected to [...]

The unrelenting Jersey sun inaugurated another sweltering day at the Westin Princeton. Within its grand venues and snaking halls, safely ensconced in a cocoon of frigid air, nine teenagers sat at a metallic table, phones drawn, Duel of the Fates softly obscuring the hum of the aggressive AC in the background. With bated breath, they... continued to await the beginning of proceedings as a delay dragged on for five, fifteen minutes. One parent, chest swollen with valor, read out a question for the baying horde. One [...]

The museum of Modern art mostly known as MOMA is by far one of the greatest art museums in the world, for it keeps masterpieces such as the stared night by Vincent Vangoh and Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Picazzo. MOMA is certainly a full experience, from its multiple hallways to the big glass windows everything is filled with amazing art that features sculpture, paintings in every single technique you could imagine, some short films, murals, and much more. The best part is that you can learn [...]

The Family Quiz was one of the more relaxing events of the Olympiad, with none of the nerve-wracking silence of the exams, or the extensive preparation needed for buzzer based events. The Family Quiz was a way for parents to be more involved in the Olympiad. Rather than just watching their children and being frustrated at their mistakes, parents got the chance to take part in a competition of their own, which spanned the topics of history, television and much more! However, the competition didn't have the best start. [...]

The Ancient History Bee was taken on July 26th. The bee, as its name suggests, was in Ancient history. Questions included everything from the Romans to the Incas of South America. Taylor Chen was the champion, and the renowned Satvik Jain was runner up. Quentin Cunningham was third place. Photo: Sriram Susarla, Texas, Middle School Jiwan Ryu Elementary, Massachusetts

On July 25th, the first day of the IHO, the infamous and dreaded Battery Exam was taken. The Exam was a mandatory part of the Olympiad, necessary in order to determine the overall winner of the Olympiad. The Exam consisted of 400 multiple-choice questions, which were divided into 4 sections, each with 100 questions. Students had 30 minutes to finish each section. Each section was on a different part of the world: The first was Europe, the second was Americas/Oceana, the third was Africa, and the [...]

As the second event of the second day of the International History Olympiad, the Blitz certainly occurred with a flash. The word ‘blitz’ is the German word for lightning, something that can also be used to describe this exciting event. The event itself consisted of four sections, consisting of two blocks of study time, a multiple choice exam, and a buzzer round. However, there’s an important twist that gives the Blitz its action and uniqueness. Unlike other events, where contestants have weeks to study, the topic [...]