A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 15 February
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 15 February?
- 1214 King John lands in France to win back his lost lands
King John of England landed at La Rochelle in France with an English army. - 1493 Columbus writes a letter announcing his voyage to the Americas
On his way home across the Atlantic, Christopher Columbus wrote a letter aboard his ship, the Niña. - 1874 Born: Ernest Shackleton
Sir Ernest Shackleton was an Anglo-Irish explorer who led three British expeditions to Antarctica. - 1906 Archaeologists discover the tomb of Kha and Merit in Egypt
A team of Italian archaeologists led by Ernesto Schiaparelli found the tomb of Kha and his wife, Merit, in Egypt. - 1923 Greece adopts the Gregorian calendar, the last in Europe to do so
Greece adopted the Gregorian calendar for everyday use, the last European country to do so. - 1952 King George VI is buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor
King George VI was buried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, nine days after his death. - 1965 Canada raises its new Maple Leaf flag
Canada adopted its red and white Maple Leaf flag, which has an 11-pointed red maple leaf in the middle. - 1971 Decimal Day: Britain switches to pounds and new pence
On Decimal Day, the United Kingdom and Ireland changed their money to a decimal system.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1214 | King John lands in France to win back his lost lands | 2026 − 1214 = | |
| 1874 | Born: Ernest Shackleton | 2026 − 1874 = | |
| 1923 | Greece adopts the Gregorian calendar, the last in Europe to do so | 2026 − 1923 = | |
| 1965 | Canada raises its new Maple Leaf flag | 2026 − 1965 = |
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!
- King John lands in France to win back his lost lands
- Archaeologists discover the tomb of Kha and Merit in Egypt
- Greece adopts the Gregorian calendar, the last in Europe to do so
- Columbus writes a letter announcing his voyage to the Americas
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “King George VI is buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor”?
- A. 2001
- B. 1214
- C. 1952
In which year did this happen: “King John lands in France to win back his lost lands”?
- A. 1214
- B. 1493
- C. 1923
Which of these happened first?
- A. King George VI is buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor
- B. King John lands in France to win back his lost lands
- C. Decimal Day: Britain switches to pounds and new pence
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 15 February. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1214 → 812 years; 1874 → 152 years; 1923 → 103 years; 1965 → 61 years.
Order: 1 = King John lands in France to win back his lost lands (1214), 2 = Columbus writes a letter announcing his voyage to the Americas (1493), 3 = Archaeologists discover the tomb of Kha and Merit in Egypt (1906), 4 = Greece adopts the Gregorian calendar, the last in Europe to do so (1923).
Quiz: 1. C (1952); 2. A (1214); 3. B (King John lands in France to win back his lost lands).