HISTORY(R) AND HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT TO AWARD SCHOLARSHIPS TO HIGH SCHOOL CIVIL WAR HISTORY BUFFS THROUGH... THE NATIONAL CIVIL WAR STUDENT CHALLENGE

Over $30,000 in college scholarships to be awarded as HISTORY begins ambitious four years of Civil War-themed programming

NEW YORK - March 21, 2011 - High school students who know their Civil War history will have the opportunity to turn their knowledge into college scholarships in the NATIONAL CIVIL WAR STUDENT CHALLENGE, a timed online competition launched by HISTORY and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). The CHALLENGE - which will award over $30,000 in college scholarships, including a $15,000 scholarship to the grand prize winner - begins Thursday, April 7.

HISTORY, the award-winning cable network, and HMH, a global education leader and the world's largest provider of pre-K�12 educational products and solutions, are sponsoring the CHALLENGE as part of their observance of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Over the next four years, HISTORY will air a comprehensive lineup of Civil War-themed programming, exploring all aspects of this pivotal chapter in American history.

"It has been said that to know your history is to shape your future. That has never been more true than with the NATIONAL CIVIL WAR STUDENT CHALLENGE," said Nancy Dubuc, President & General Manager, HISTORY. "A $15,000 scholarship could literally be life-changing for the grand prize winner. We're excited to be able to play a part in that."

Although all U.S. high school students are eligible to participate in the NATIONAL CIVIL WAR STUDENT CHALLENGE, content is geared toward the 11th grade curriculum. The online quiz will be conducted April 7-9. The 30 top-scoring finalists will then be invited to take an in-school final exam.

In addition to the $15,000 scholarship grand prize, HISTORY and HMH will award a $7,500 first-place scholarship, a $5,000 second-place scholarship and seven $1,000 third-place scholarships. Also, any teacher whose student qualifies for the final round of competition will receive $400 in classroom supplies.

Students can prepare for the CHALLENGE by playing the Facebook Practice Game, which goes live on March 21 on the following sites: www.CivilWarChallenge.com, www.HISTORY.com/CivilWarChallenge and HISTORY's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/history

For more information about the HISTORY and HMH NATIONAL CIVIL WAR STUDENT CHALLENGE, including contest rules, eligibility and an information kit that will help teachers prepare their students for the CHALLENGE, visit: www.civilwarchallenge.com.

HISTORY first joined forces with HMH in September 2010 to revolutionize the teaching and learning of history and social studies by combining HISTORY's multimedia assets with HMH's curricula and approach, creating dynamic learning environments that weave experience-based content with traditional instruction. HISTORY and HMH kicked off this partnership last fall with, We The People LIVE, a star-studded live Constitution Day educational event in Washington D.C. that was simultaneously webcast to more than 4,000 schools nationwide and featured illustrative video excerpts from HISTORY's America: The Story of Us television series.

About HISTORY(R)

HISTORY(R) and HISTORY HD(R) are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original non-fiction series and event specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network's program offerings are hit series such as American Pickers, Ax Men, Brad Meltzer's Decoded, Ice Road Truckers, Top Gear, Pawn Stars and Top Shot, as well as acclaimed specials including America the Story of Us, WWII in HD, 102 Minutes That Changed America, The President's Book of Secrets and Life After People. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, seven Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network's signature initiative connecting America's schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY website, located at www.history.com, is the leading online resource for all things history, featuring over 20,000 videos, images, audio clips, articles and interactive features that allow visitors to dig deeper into a broad range of thousands of historical topics.

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a global education and learning company that is leading the way with innovative solutions and approaches to the challenges facing education today. The world's largest provider of educational products and solutions for pre-K�12 learning, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt develops and delivers interactive, results-driven learning solutions that advance teacher effectiveness and student achievement. Through curricula excellence, research based services and technology innovation; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt collaborates with school districts, administrators, teachers, parents and students. Today, HMH education products and services are used by 57 million students throughout all 50 U.S. states and 120 countries. With origins dating back to 1832, the Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. For more information, visit www.hmhpub.com.