A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 4 January
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 4 January?
- AD 871 Vikings defeat Æthelred and Alfred at the Battle of Reading
A Danish Viking army defeated the West Saxons at the Battle of Reading, in Berkshire. - 1642 Charles I tries to arrest five MPs in Parliament
King Charles I entered the House of Commons with about 400 soldiers to arrest five Members of Parliament for treason. - 1698 Fire destroys most of London's Palace of Whitehall
A fire destroyed most of the Palace of Whitehall in London. - 1912 The Boy Scouts Association is given a royal charter
The Boy Scouts Association was given a royal charter, an official document from the monarch, covering the whole British Empire. - 1972 Rose Heilbron becomes the first woman judge at the Old Bailey
Rose Heilbron became the first woman judge to sit at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales in London. - 1973 Last of the Summer Wine, the world's longest-running sitcom, begins
The first episode of Last of the Summer Wine was shown on BBC television, as part of a series called Comedy Playhouse. - 2004 NASA's Spirit rover lands on Mars
Spirit, a robot vehicle called a rover, landed safely in Gusev crater on Mars. - 2010 The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure, opens in Dubai
The Burj Khalifa skyscraper officially opened in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| AD 871 | Vikings defeat Æthelred and Alfred at the Battle of Reading | 2026 − 871 = | |
| 1698 | Fire destroys most of London's Palace of Whitehall | 2026 − 1698 = | |
| 1972 | Rose Heilbron becomes the first woman judge at the Old Bailey | 2026 − 1972 = | |
| 2004 | NASA's Spirit rover lands on Mars | 2026 − 2004 = |
3. Put them in order
Write 1 next to the oldest event, then 2, 3 and so on up to the newest. Use list 1 to help you!
- Charles I tries to arrest five MPs in Parliament
- The Boy Scouts Association is given a royal charter
- Vikings defeat Æthelred and Alfred at the Battle of Reading
- Fire destroys most of London's Palace of Whitehall
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Fire destroys most of London's Palace of Whitehall”?
- A. 1972
- B. 1698
- C. 1912
In which year did this happen: “Charles I tries to arrest five MPs in Parliament”?
- A. 1785
- B. 1642
- C. 1884
Which of these happened first?
- A. Rose Heilbron becomes the first woman judge at the Old Bailey
- B. Fire destroys most of London's Palace of Whitehall
- C. Charles I tries to arrest five MPs in Parliament
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 4 January. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 871 → 1,155 years; 1698 → 328 years; 1972 → 54 years; 2004 → 22 years.
Order: 1 = Vikings defeat Æthelred and Alfred at the Battle of Reading (AD 871), 2 = Charles I tries to arrest five MPs in Parliament (1642), 3 = Fire destroys most of London's Palace of Whitehall (1698), 4 = The Boy Scouts Association is given a royal charter (1912).
Quiz: 1. B (1698); 2. B (1642); 3. C (Charles I tries to arrest five MPs in Parliament).