You may choose to write an ode to honor a historic figure you admire or commemorate a historical event. Odes are formal poems written to honor a person, event or thing. They generally have a serious tone while praising the subject of the poem. Odes do not always follow the same stanza forms, but poetic tradition recognizes a few specific forms: the Greek or Pindaric ode, the Horatian ode, Sapphic odes and Irregular odes. An example of a historic ode is "Ode to the Confederate Dead" by Allen Tate.
Poems written to mark an occasion offer readers a picture of a historical event. Occasional poems are usually written for a specific event and often read in public. You can also write a poem of any style to describe or share your view of current events that will have historic importance.
The poem written for President Obama's inauguration, "Praise Song for the Day" by Elizabeth Alexander, is an occasional poem, as is Alfred, Lord Tennyson's famous "Charge of the Light Brigade," which describes a failed battle in the Crimean War.
Elegies to honor the deceased. You can write an elegy to honor an important historical or public figure, for example. An elegy can take an ode form, or an epitaph with a shorter form, usually intended to be etched on a gravestone. The formal stanza for an elegy is a quatrain written in iambic pentameter with ABAB rhyme scheme. However, elegies do not have to follow any form, though they are usually somber in tone. "For Malcom X" by Margaret Walker honored an important historical figure after his death.
Ballads are narrative poems, meaning they tell a story. Ballads can be about a historic person or place, though they usually center on a specific dramatic event. Traditionally sung, ballads still follow a melodic form, making them easily learned and read aloud. The formal ballad stanza is a quatrain --- four lines with the second and fourth lines rhyming (ABCB). "John Henry" (Anonymous) is a ballad that relates a historic event and records the story of a man who may not otherwise have been remembered.