A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 5 February
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 5 February?
- AD 62 An earthquake shakes the Roman town of Pompeii
A strong earthquake struck the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy, badly damaging them. - 1788 Born: Robert Peel
Robert Peel was a British politician who served twice as Prime Minister. - 1840 Born: John Boyd Dunlop
John Boyd Dunlop was a Scottish inventor and vet who spent most of his working life in Ireland. - 1869 Gold hunters find the giant Welcome Stranger nugget in Australia
Gold prospectors at Moliagul, in Australia, found the largest alluvial gold nugget ever discovered. - 1909 Leo Baekeland announces Bakelite, the first synthetic plastic
Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announced his invention of Bakelite, the first plastic made from synthetic, or man-made, ingredients. - 1919 Charlie Chaplin and friends launch the film company United Artists
Film stars Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks joined the director D. W. Griffith to launch a new film company, United Artists. - 1923 Bill Ponsford scores a world record 429 runs in cricket
Australian cricketer Bill Ponsford scored 429 runs in a single innings. - 1924 The Greenwich 'pips' time signal is broadcast for the first time
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich began sending out the hourly time signal known as 'the pips'.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| AD 62 | An earthquake shakes the Roman town of Pompeii | 2026 − 62 = | |
| 1840 | Born: John Boyd Dunlop | 2026 − 1840 = | |
| 1909 | Leo Baekeland announces Bakelite, the first synthetic plastic | 2026 − 1909 = | |
| 1923 | Bill Ponsford scores a world record 429 runs in cricket | 2026 − 1923 = |
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!
- Charlie Chaplin and friends launch the film company United Artists
- An earthquake shakes the Roman town of Pompeii
- Gold hunters find the giant Welcome Stranger nugget in Australia
- Leo Baekeland announces Bakelite, the first synthetic plastic
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Charlie Chaplin and friends launch the film company United Artists”?
- A. 1909
- B. 1919
- C. 1971
In which year did this happen: “The Greenwich 'pips' time signal is broadcast for the first time”?
- A. 1869
- B. 1924
- C. 1971
Which of these happened first?
- A. Bill Ponsford scores a world record 429 runs in cricket
- B. Charlie Chaplin and friends launch the film company United Artists
- C. The Greenwich 'pips' time signal is broadcast for the first time
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 5 February. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 62 → 1,964 years; 1840 → 186 years; 1909 → 117 years; 1923 → 103 years.
Order: 1 = An earthquake shakes the Roman town of Pompeii (AD 62), 2 = Gold hunters find the giant Welcome Stranger nugget in Australia (1869), 3 = Leo Baekeland announces Bakelite, the first synthetic plastic (1909), 4 = Charlie Chaplin and friends launch the film company United Artists (1919).
Quiz: 1. B (1919); 2. B (1924); 3. B (Charlie Chaplin and friends launch the film company United Artists).