A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 17 February
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 17 February?
- 1621 Myles Standish is chosen to lead Plymouth Colony's defenders
Myles Standish was elected the first commander of the militia, or local defence force, of Plymouth Colony in North America. - 1894 Rudolf Diesel's first working engine runs for one minute
German engineer Rudolf Diesel's first working engine ran for one minute. - 1904 Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly is performed for the first time
Giacomo Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly was performed for the first time at La Scala, a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. - 1959 Vanguard 2, the first weather satellite, is launched
The United States Navy launched Vanguard 2, the first weather satellite. - 1980 Two Polish climbers make the first winter climb of Mount Everest
Polish climbers Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy became the first people to reach the top of Mount Everest in winter. - 1989 Born: Rebecca Adlington
Rebecca Adlington is an English former swimmer. - 1996 Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue chess computer
World chess champion Garry Kasparov beat IBM's supercomputer Deep Blue in a six-game match in Philadelphia, USA. He won three games, drew two and lost one. - 2003 London starts charging drivers to enter the city centre
London's congestion charge began, so drivers had to pay to drive most vehicles into the city centre.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1621 | Myles Standish is chosen to lead Plymouth Colony's defenders | 2026 − 1621 = | |
| 1904 | Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly is performed for the first time | 2026 − 1904 = | |
| 1980 | Two Polish climbers make the first winter climb of Mount Everest | 2026 − 1980 = | |
| 1996 | Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue chess computer | 2026 − 1996 = |
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!
- Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly is performed for the first time
- Vanguard 2, the first weather satellite, is launched
- Myles Standish is chosen to lead Plymouth Colony's defenders
- Rudolf Diesel's first working engine runs for one minute
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Myles Standish is chosen to lead Plymouth Colony's defenders”?
- A. 1621
- B. 2003
- C. 1919
In which year did this happen: “London starts charging drivers to enter the city centre”?
- A. 2003
- B. 1963
- C. 1996
Which of these happened first?
- A. Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly is performed for the first time
- B. London starts charging drivers to enter the city centre
- C. Myles Standish is chosen to lead Plymouth Colony's defenders
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 17 February. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1621 → 405 years; 1904 → 122 years; 1980 → 46 years; 1996 → 30 years.
Order: 1 = Myles Standish is chosen to lead Plymouth Colony's defenders (1621), 2 = Rudolf Diesel's first working engine runs for one minute (1894), 3 = Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly is performed for the first time (1904), 4 = Vanguard 2, the first weather satellite, is launched (1959).
Quiz: 1. A (1621); 2. A (2003); 3. C (Myles Standish is chosen to lead Plymouth Colony's defenders).