A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 8 January
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 8 January?
- AD 871 Æthelred and Alfred defeat the Vikings at the Battle of Ashdown
At the Battle of Ashdown, a West Saxon army beat a Danish Viking army. - 1735 Handel's opera Ariodante is first performed in London
Ariodante, an opera by George Frideric Handel, was performed for the first time at the Covent Garden Theatre in London. - 1746 Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army takes Stirling
During the Jacobite rising of 1745, Charles Edward Stuart and his army occupied the town of Stirling in Scotland. - 1823 Born: Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace was a naturalist, explorer and illustrator. - 1889 Herman Hollerith is granted a patent for his punched-card machine
American inventor Herman Hollerith received a patent for his tabulating machine. - 1940 Food rationing begins in Britain in the Second World War
Britain began rationing food, which means limiting how much of it each person could buy. - 1942 Born: Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking was an English scientist who studied black holes and the universe. - 2004 The Queen names the ocean liner Queen Mary 2
Queen Elizabeth II christened, or officially named, the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary 2.
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 | Æthelred and Alfred defeat the Vikings at the Battle of Ashdown | 2026 − 871 = | |
| 1746 | Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army takes Stirling | 2026 − 1746 = | |
| 1889 | Herman Hollerith is granted a patent for his punched-card machine | 2026 − 1889 = | |
| 1942 | Born: Stephen Hawking | 2026 − 1942 = |
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!
- Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army takes Stirling
- Handel's opera Ariodante is first performed in London
- Æthelred and Alfred defeat the Vikings at the Battle of Ashdown
- Herman Hollerith is granted a patent for his punched-card machine
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Handel's opera Ariodante is first performed in London”?
- A. 1912
- B. AD 871
- C. 1735
In which year was Stephen Hawking born?
- A. 1942
- B. 1994
- C. AD 871
Which of these happened first?
- A. Handel's opera Ariodante is first performed in London
- B. The Queen names the ocean liner Queen Mary 2
- C. Æthelred and Alfred defeat the Vikings at the Battle of Ashdown
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 8 January. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 871 → 1,155 years; 1746 → 280 years; 1889 → 137 years; 1942 → 84 years.
Order: 1 = Æthelred and Alfred defeat the Vikings at the Battle of Ashdown (AD 871), 2 = Handel's opera Ariodante is first performed in London (1735), 3 = Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army takes Stirling (1746), 4 = Herman Hollerith is granted a patent for his punched-card machine (1889).
Quiz: 1. C (1735); 2. A (1942); 3. C (Æthelred and Alfred defeat the Vikings at the Battle of Ashdown).