Editing History Channel (section)

==History==
===Twentieth century===
[[File:The History Channel logo.png|thumb|upright=1.1|The History Channel's original logo used from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, with the slogan "Where the past comes alive." In the station's early years, the red background was not there, and later it sometimes appeared blue (in documentaries), light green (in biographies), purple (in sitcoms), yellow (in reality shows), or orange (in short form content) instead of red.]]
The company indicated that plans for a history channel were in the works in 1993, it purchased the Lou Reda Productions documentary library and long-term rights for the Hearst Entertainment documentaries archive. The History Channel was launched on January 1, 1995, initially owned by A&E Television Networks. Its UK counterpart in a partnership with British Sky Broadcasting (''now'' [[Sky UK]]), followed on November 1, 1995.<ref name=idc>{{cite book |title=International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 32 |date=2000 |publisher=St. James Press |via=Funding Universe.com |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/a-e-television-networks-history/ |access-date=December 4, 2013 |chapter=A & E Television Networks History |archive-date=October 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024082856/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/a-e-television-networks-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Its original format focused entirely on historical series and [[television special|specials]].

During the 1990s, the History Channel was jokingly referred to as "The [[Hitler]] Channel" for its extensive coverage of [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schone |first1=Mark |title=Media Circus: All Hitler all the time |url=https://www.salon.com/test/1997/05/08/media_90/ |access-date=May 27, 2020 |work=Salon |date=May 8, 1997 |language=en |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801164928/https://www.salon.com/test/1997/05/08/media_90/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Since then, much of its military-themed programming has been shifted to its sister network [[Military History (TV channel)|Military History]].

A&E Networks considered the History Channel to be the driver in international expansion due to a lack of international rights to A&E international co-productions. As expected, the History Channel led A&E's overseas expansion in Brazil with TVA (April 1996), the Nordic and Baltic regions with Modern Times Group (1997), and in Canada (1997).<ref name=idc/>

The History Channel expanded in 1998 into tours of US landmarks with Mayflower Tours having an affiliated website (historytravel.com), ''History Channel Traveler'', and a planned quarterly magazine. While in October, the History Channel and [[MSG Network]] teamed up to produce several short-form sports history programs. A&E launched History International as a spin-off from the History Channel in November 1998, which was renamed H2 in 2011.<ref name=idc/>

===Twenty-first century===
[[File:History Logo 2008-2015.svg|thumb|upright=1.1|History's logo used from February 16, 2008 to May 31, 2015: The second logo does not have the triangle on the side of the H.]]
[[File:History Logo.svg|thumb|upright=1.1|History's third logo used from June 1, 2015 to December 6, 2021]]
On February 16, 2008, a new logo was launched on the U.S. network as part of a rebranding effort. While the trademark "H" was kept, the triangle shape on the left acts as a play button for animation and flyouts during commercials and shows. On March 20, 2008, as part of that same rebranding effort, the History Channel dropped "The" and "Channel" from its name to become simply "History".<ref>International Herald Tribune [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/20/arts/TV-History-Channel.php Television's The History Channel Drops 'The' and 'Channel' from Its Name, Keeps History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804054616/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/20/arts/TV-History-Channel.php |date=August 4, 2008 }} March 20, 2008</ref>

In 2012, half of A&E would be purchased by [[The Walt Disney Company]] and the other half by [[Hearst Communications]], also putting History under their joint ownership.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lakritz |first=Talia |title=14 companies you didn't realize Disney owns |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-disney-owns |access-date=2024-02-17 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US |archive-date=February 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216050818/https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-disney-owns |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2015, the channel would undergo another rebranding, this time by Joseph Kiely. The slogan of this rebranding was "Make Your Mark.” The logo was slightly changed, but retained the golden letter 'H' that had become synonymous with the channel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History Channel global rebrand & manifesto |url=https://kielydesign.com/portfolio/history-channel-rebrand-manifesto/ |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=KIELY DESIGN |language=en-US |archive-date=February 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217210059/https://kielydesign.com/portfolio/history-channel-rebrand-manifesto/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The "History 100" documentary initiative was announced in March 2018 that would produce 100 documentaries covering major events and notable figures from last 100 years.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Littleton |first1=Cynthia |title=History Sets 'History 100' Docu Film Series, Evel Knievel Stunt Special |url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/history-100-evel-knievel-documentary-films-werner-herzog-1202727441/ |access-date=May 27, 2020 |work=Variety |date=March 15, 2018 |language=en |archive-date=July 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716210418/https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/history-100-evel-knievel-documentary-films-werner-herzog-1202727441/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On December 7, 2021, History received a major rebrand for the first time since February 16, 2008. The logo still kept the golden letter 'H' that had been used since its launch in 1995.