A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 15 January
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 15 January?
- 1535 Henry VIII adds 'Supreme Head of the Church' to his title
King Henry VIII issued an official order adding 'Supreme Head of the Church of England' to his royal title. - 1559 Elizabeth I is crowned at Westminster Abbey
Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey in London. - 1759 The British Museum opens to the public
The British Museum in London opened its doors to the public for the first time, in a grand mansion called Montagu House. - 1885 Wilson Bentley takes the first known photo of a snowflake
Wilson Bentley, a 19-year-old from a farm in Jericho, Vermont, in the USA, took the first known photograph of a snowflake. - 1962 The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest manuscript, is found
Archaeologists discovered the Derveni papyrus at Derveni, near Thessaloniki in northern Greece. - 1998 Born: Chloe Kelly
Chloe Kelly is an English footballer who plays for the England women's team, the Lionesses. - 2005 Europe's SMART-1 spacecraft detects elements on the Moon
SMART-1, a European Space Agency spacecraft orbiting the Moon, detected chemical elements on the Moon's surface, including calcium, aluminium, silicon and iron. - 2009 A passenger plane lands safely on the Hudson River
Soon after taking off from New York, a passenger plane hit a flock of Canada geese, and both its engines failed.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1535 | Henry VIII adds 'Supreme Head of the Church' to his title | 2026 − 1535 = | |
| 1759 | The British Museum opens to the public | 2026 − 1759 = | |
| 1962 | The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest manuscript, is found | 2026 − 1962 = | |
| 2005 | Europe's SMART-1 spacecraft detects elements on the Moon | 2026 − 2005 = |
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!
- Henry VIII adds 'Supreme Head of the Church' to his title
- Elizabeth I is crowned at Westminster Abbey
- The British Museum opens to the public
- Wilson Bentley takes the first known photo of a snowflake
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Elizabeth I is crowned at Westminster Abbey”?
- A. 1559
- B. 2001
- C. 1815
In which year did this happen: “Henry VIII adds 'Supreme Head of the Church' to his title”?
- A. 1759
- B. 1815
- C. 1535
Which of these happened first?
- A. Elizabeth I is crowned at Westminster Abbey
- B. The British Museum opens to the public
- C. Henry VIII adds 'Supreme Head of the Church' to his title
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 15 January. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1535 → 491 years; 1759 → 267 years; 1962 → 64 years; 2005 → 21 years.
Order: 1 = Henry VIII adds 'Supreme Head of the Church' to his title (1535), 2 = Elizabeth I is crowned at Westminster Abbey (1559), 3 = The British Museum opens to the public (1759), 4 = Wilson Bentley takes the first known photo of a snowflake (1885).
Quiz: 1. A (1559); 2. C (1535); 3. C (Henry VIII adds 'Supreme Head of the Church' to his title).