
Best Gifts for History Buffs
If your holiday shopping includes a history lover, HISTORY's editors have carefully chosen gifts and experiences for fans of any era. Whether it's historical letters, a 2023 calendar or a model spy plane, there's history here to read, watch, use, play and wear.
HISTORY recommends products our editors think you’ll like (many created by the HISTORY team), and if you buy something through our links HISTORY may get a share of the revenue. Prices may fluctuate.
Honor Pearl Harbor's Heroes
BUY HERE: History List Pearl Harbor Battleships Row T-Shirt, from $31.95, HISTORY Store
Salute U.S. Navy servicemen who gallantly fought to defend Pearl Harbor from the Japanese attack that pushed the U.S. into World War II, with this Pearl Harbor Battleships Row T-Shirt. The front design features the American flag that flew on the U.S.S. St. Louis at the time of the attack, while the back shows the battleships that made up “Battleship Row.”
Accessorize the t-shirt with a $17.95 V-Day for Victory Pin, a modern enamel replica of a rallying emblem during World War II. For an even more immersive gift, pair your items with a $33.95 World War II on the Homefront Poster, showing more than 100 WWII patriotic posters that hung in U.S. post offices, railroad stations, schools, restaurants and elsewhere, exhorting Americans to buy bonds, contribute to scrap drives and otherwise support the national war effort.
Super Fast Super Spy Craft
BUY HERE: Model of SR-71 Blackbird Vehicle (1:200 scale), about $25, Amazon
If you’ve got a big need for speed—but only a little room on your bookshelf or desk—check out this model of the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, an iconic reconnaissance plane that holds the manned flight speed record of 2,193 miles per hour, set on July 28, 1976. This die-cast model, which comes complete with a display stand, lends any desk or shelf a legendary piece of aviation history.
It's Always Rosie Time
BUY HERE: Rosie We Can Do It Watch, $29.97, National Archives Store
An icon on your wrist. Rosie the Riveter, the steely-eyed World War II heroine with her red bandanna, blue coveralls and flexed bicep, exemplifies the boundless skill and can-do attitude of American women. This bright, colorful timepiece, with its signature polka-dot strap, will continue to inspire that irrepressible, roll-up-the-sleeves spirit.
New Facts Daily
BUY HERE: This Day in History Calendars, $14.99, HISTORY Store
Learn something new every day with HISTORY's 2023 This Day in History calendars, filled with 365 of history’s most influential and extraordinary events, inspiring people and inventions and facts any trivia buff will love. Available as a This Day in History Wall Calendar or This Day in History Box Calendar.
Other topics for box calendars are This Day in Military History, This Day in Women’s History, and Unexplained Mysteries for each day of the year.
Just in Time
BUY HERE: Chronology 20th Anniversary Edition, about $18, Amazon
Which came first—Isaac Newton’s telescope or Martin Luther’s 95 Theses? Test your knowledge of the past with this Chronology card game where players compete to put historical events in the correct chronological order; the first player to build a timeline of 10 cards wins. Recommended for 2 to 8 players, ages 14+. Includes 429 double-sided cards with 858 events. History is more fun with friends!
Art Channeling History
BUY HERE: 'Head of the Class' NFT by Derrick Adams, $200, The HISTORY Channel NFT Marketplace
Created by artist Derrick Adams, whose work resides in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, "Head of the Class" celebrates the generations of Black people in America who changed the course of history with their unyielding courage, blazing the trail for generations to come. The image's boldly geometric, faceted figure channels that generational promise: a young Black girl becoming the author of her own story.
The HISTORY Channel Collection's NFTs are rooted in history, allowing you the experience of discovering—and owning—a moment in time. NFT sales will benefit Charm City Cultural Cultivation, a nonprofit founded by Adams that supports opportunities for cultural growth in Baltimore’s inner city, with public programs in the arts and education.
Purchase of this NFT includes an exclusive limited-edition poster featuring the art and a printable high-resolution image file for personal use. Explore more gift options for the history buffs on your list and check out the newest drops from The HISTORY Channel NFT Marketplace. Prices vary.
Sketches of War
BUY HERE: Drawing Fire: A Pawnee, Artist, and Thunderbird in World War II, hardcover from about $15, Amazon
When 18-year-old Pawnee Indian Brummett Echohawk joined the Oklahoma National Guard in 1940, little could he predict that his brigade, the Thunderbirds—made up of cowboys, farmers and more than a thousand Native Americans—would be hailed by General George Patton as “one of the best, if not the best division, in the history of American arms.” The Thunderbirds of the 45th Infantry fought their way across Europe, culminating in the liberation of prisoners from the Nazi’s infamous Dachau concentration camp. Echohawk, a talented artist, created annotated combat sketches during his service, which form the basis of this unique memoir recounting battles in Sicily, Salerno and Anzio.
Hundreds of Hours of History
BUY HERE: HISTORY Vault Subscription, $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, HISTORY Vault
Recommended for you
For the documentary and video buff, a HISTORY Vault subscription offers documentaries and series exploring the events and people that shaped our world, from ancient empires to modern warfare. Stream hundreds of hours of acclaimed series, probing documentaries and captivating specials commercial free.
Celebrating Asian America
BUY HERE: RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now, hardcover about $20, Amazon
When the 1965 Hart-Celler Act opened U.S. immigration to non-Europeans, it ushered in a new era of cultural diversity. But even to the first generation of Asian Americans born in America after that milestone, it would have been impossible to imagine that sushi would one day be so widely beloved, that a Korean boy band would be the biggest musical act in the world—or that the U.S. would have an Asian American Vice President.
RISE: A Pop History of Asian American from the Nineties to Now offers an intimate, revealing and frequently hilarious guided tour through the pop-cultural touchstones and sociopolitical shifts of recent decades, seen through an Asian American filter. Authors Jeff Yang, Phil Yu and Philip Wang chronicle it all through engaging, interactive infographics—including an atlas that unearths historic Asian American landmarks and visual celebrations of "founding fathers and mothers"—plus illustrations and graphic essays from major AAPI artists, exclusive roundtables with Asian American cultural icons and more.
On the Map
BUY HERE: Battles Map by Map, about $20, Amazon
Explore history’s most famous military conflicts, from ancient times to the modern era. This beautiful volume's 80 easy-to-follow maps are chockfull of striking illustrations, helpful timelines and fascinating details that bring to life these epic battles in their full historical context. The perfect gift for any map lover or military history buff, this Smithsonian publication offers a comprehensive, front-row view into the world of famous generals and commanders such as Rameses II, Napoleon and Alexander the Great.
For the other history lovers on your list, the Map by Map series also includes History of the World Map by Map and World War II Map by Map.
Declare It
BUY HERE: Declaration of Independence Print, $28.95, HISTORY Store
For the American Revolution history buff, what could be more inspiring than a hand-printed broadside of the Declaration of Independence that arrived in Boston about July 15th, 1776—and whose lofty vision of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” was read to gathered throngs three days later from the balcony of the Old State House? Printed with historic methods on an authentic colonial-era press at the Printing Office of Edes & Gill in Boston.
Pair your copy of the declaration with this “Revolutionary Superheroes” T-shirt featuring George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and Abigail and John Adams.
The Civil Rights Movement, in Graphic Novel
BUY HERE: March, about $27, Amazon
The Mississippi freedom summer. Selma’s “Bloody Sunday.” The signing of the Voting Rights Act. Experience the most epic moments of the Civil Rights Movement through the intimate lens of Congressman John Lewis, one of the key figures in the struggle to end racial segregation. Winner of multiple awards, including the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, this trilogy of graphic novels comes as a commemorative edition housed in a handsome slipcase. Also available as an ebook.
Ancient Alex, the Big Boss
BUY HERE: Alexander the Great Historical Antique Bronze Finish Statue, about $73, Amazon
Charismatic, ruthless, brilliant and insatiably power hungry, Alexander the Great possessed one of history’s greatest military minds. At age 20, he became king of Macedonia. By age 30, he had battled his way from Greece to northwest India, creating the largest empire in the ancient world. This antique-style “Conqueror of the World” bronze statue is perfect to display in your home or office or as a gift for the ancient history lovers on your list.
Crack the Norse Code
BUY HERE: Vikings: The Rulers of Sea and Sword, about $12, Amazon
This special edition bookazine explores the Viking Age and the influence these legendary warrior-trader-explorers had across four continents for more than 400 years. Learn about unique navigational techniques that allowed them to plunder and conquer Europe and the British Isles...the incredible Norse stories that are still told today...and how their culture embraced female warriors at sea as well as at home.
Sip from Liberty
BUY HERE: Monticello Jefferson Cup, $45, Monticello
Thomas Jefferson was meticulous in many things, from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to the drinkware he used at his Virginia home, Monticello. Bring Jefferson’s taste home with your own pewter Jefferson Cup, which can be engraved with three initials for an additional $9.95. For a lighter take, another version includes Jefferson’s philosophy on wine: “A very favorite wine…a necessary of life with me.”
Iconic Footwear
BUY HERE: Frederick Douglass Knit Socks, $19.95, HISTORY Store
Frederick Douglass stands in the pantheon of Black history figures: Born into bondage, he made a daring escape north, wrote bestselling autobiographies and became one of the nation’s most powerful voices against slavery as a publisher and orator. He remains, arguably, the most influential civil and human rights advocate of the 19th century.
These natty knit socks commemorate the iconic abolitionist, writer and activist. For other Douglass-themed gifts, consider this Frederick Douglass “Signature Series” T-Shirt or a Frederick Douglass Little Thinker Plush.