History to Debut Original Documentary Special THIS IS HISTORY: 2016, 1/19

By all accounts, 2016 was a truly historic year. But, how will events of the past 12 months fit into the fabric of history? HISTORY(R) tackles this question in an original documentary special, "THIS IS HISTORY: 2016," airing Monday, December 19 at 10pm ET/PT.

A Pew Research Center poll and report conducted in association with HISTORY* asked Americans to name the 10 most significant historic events of their lifetime. Using the results of the study for context, "THIS IS HISTORY: 2016" looks at the past year thematically, connecting events of 2016 to the impactful moments in history cited in the study. The results of the poll will be released by Pew Research Center on December 15.

History was made in 2016. The year was dominated by a brutal Presidential primary and unprecedented general election that saw the first woman major party candidate face off against a businessman with no political experience. There were too many shocking terrorist attacks in the US and abroad. In cities and towns across the country, we witnessed multiple incidents of violence by and against the police. We saw the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. And, we were saddened by the loss of the Greatest of All Time, Muhammad Ali, as well as towering legends of music like David Bowie, Prince, Leon Russell, Glenn Frey and Leonard Cohen. But, these difficult moments were punctuated with moments of hope. The Chicago Cubs won the WORLD SERIES after a 108-year drought. Scott Kelly returned to Earth after a year in space. Once again, Michael Phelps amazed us at the Olympics. And we watched as regular people took action to save their neighbors and strangers alike from deadly flooding in Louisiana, proving that in a crisis, we push disagreements aside to help one another out.

"THIS IS HISTORY: 2016" features interviews people who had a front row seat to history, and share their first-hand accounts. Among the newsmakers we hear from are Kellyanne Conway, President Elect Donald Trump's campaign manager who helped mastermind the most surprising upset in political history; Dmitri Alperovitch, a cyber expert hired by the DNC to track down those responsible for hacking the Committee's email system; and Isaiah Henderson, a SURVIVOR of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre and an eye-witness to the worst terrorist attack in this country since 9/11.

Throughout the hour we will hear from a diverse range of people who are experts in their fields, including futurists Dr. James Canton and Mike Rogers; university professors Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Timothy Naftali and Amer Zahr; journalists David Fahrenthold, Alison Stewart, Farai Chideya, John Hockenberry, Kurt Anderson and Sopan Deb; from the world of politics, Jen Palmieri and Mark McKinnon; tech and cyber experts David Pogue and Fred Kaplan; Ike McKinnon, a 50+ year veteran of the Detroit Police Department who rose through the ranks to become Police Chief; and Troy Green, a member of the Cajun Navy, who helped rescue people trapped in their homes by the devastating floods in Louisiana.

HISTORY will give viewers the opportunity to celebrate and remember the year through a dedicated social initiative. Viewers are invited to share a tweet and/or a photo and caption of a 2016 moment of personal significance using the hashtag #MyHistory2016. HISTORY will air some of the submissions during the broadcast of "THIS IS HISTORY: 2016."

"THIS IS HISTORY 2016" is produced by A+E Networks. Paul Cabana, Steve Ascher and Kristy Sabat serve as Executive Producers for HISTORY.

*Methodology: The survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 2,025 adults, from June 16-July4.

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