A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 16 February
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 16 February?
- 1646 Parliament's army wins the Battle of Torrington in Devon
At Torrington in Devon, Sir Thomas Fairfax led the Parliamentarian army to victory over the Royalists, who fought for the king. - 1742 Spencer Compton becomes Britain's second prime minister
Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, became Prime Minister of Great Britain. - 1859 France sets the first official pitch for tuning musical instruments
The French government passed a law saying that the musical note A above middle C should be 435 hertz. - 1900 Explorers make the first landing on Antarctica's Great Ice Barrier
The Southern Cross Expedition, also called the British Antarctic Expedition, made the first ever landing on the Great Ice Barrier. - 1906 Born: Vera Menchik
Vera Menchik was a chess player who was born in Russia and lived mainly in England. - 1923 Howard Carter opens the burial chamber of Tutankhamun
British archaeologist Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber in the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. - 1940 HMS Cossack rescues 299 British prisoners from the Altmark
During the Second World War, the German tanker Altmark was carrying 299 captured British sailors back to Germany. - 2005 The Kyoto Protocol on climate change comes into force
The Kyoto Protocol came into force after Russia agreed to it.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1646 | Parliament's army wins the Battle of Torrington in Devon | 2026 − 1646 = | |
| 1859 | France sets the first official pitch for tuning musical instruments | 2026 − 1859 = | |
| 1906 | Born: Vera Menchik | 2026 − 1906 = | |
| 1940 | HMS Cossack rescues 299 British prisoners from the Altmark | 2026 − 1940 = |
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!
- Parliament's army wins the Battle of Torrington in Devon
- France sets the first official pitch for tuning musical instruments
- Spencer Compton becomes Britain's second prime minister
- Explorers make the first landing on Antarctica's Great Ice Barrier
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Explorers make the first landing on Antarctica's Great Ice Barrier”?
- A. 1900
- B. 1859
- C. 1968
In which year did this happen: “Howard Carter opens the burial chamber of Tutankhamun”?
- A. 1923
- B. 2005
- C. 1906
Which of these happened first?
- A. Explorers make the first landing on Antarctica's Great Ice Barrier
- B. Howard Carter opens the burial chamber of Tutankhamun
- C. Spencer Compton becomes Britain's second prime minister
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 16 February. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1646 → 380 years; 1859 → 167 years; 1906 → 120 years; 1940 → 86 years.
Order: 1 = Parliament's army wins the Battle of Torrington in Devon (1646), 2 = Spencer Compton becomes Britain's second prime minister (1742), 3 = France sets the first official pitch for tuning musical instruments (1859), 4 = Explorers make the first landing on Antarctica's Great Ice Barrier (1900).
Quiz: 1. A (1900); 2. A (1923); 3. C (Spencer Compton becomes Britain's second prime minister).