A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 28 February
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 28 February?
- 1638 Scots adopt the National Covenant against Charles I's church changes
The National Covenant was formally adopted in Scotland. - 1915 Born: Peter Medawar
Peter Medawar was a Brazilian-born British biologist whose discoveries about the body's immune system were key to making tissue and organ transplants work. - 1922 Britain recognises Egypt as an independent country
The United Kingdom recognised Egypt as an independent country, ending its protectorate over Egypt. - 1928 C. V. Raman discovers the Raman effect
Indian physicist C. V. Raman and his student K. S. Krishnan discovered that when light passes through a clear material, some of the light that is scattered changes its wavelength. - 1939 An editor discovers that 'dord' is not a real word
An editor noticed that 'dord', listed in Webster's New International Dictionary as meaning 'density', had no explanation of where the word came from. - 1953 Francis Crick and James Watson work out the structure of DNA
At the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, Francis Crick and James Watson worked out the structure of DNA, the molecule that stores genetic information in living things. - 1974 A general election leaves Britain with a hung parliament
In a general election, Harold Wilson's Labour Party won the most seats but not an overall majority, even though Prime Minister Edward Heath's Conservatives won a bigger share of the votes. - 2013 Benedict XVI becomes the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years
Pope Benedict XVI stepped down as head of the Catholic Church, as he had announced on 11 February.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1638 | Scots adopt the National Covenant against Charles I's church changes | 2026 − 1638 = | |
| 1922 | Britain recognises Egypt as an independent country | 2026 − 1922 = | |
| 1939 | An editor discovers that 'dord' is not a real word | 2026 − 1939 = | |
| 1974 | A general election leaves Britain with a hung parliament | 2026 − 1974 = |
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!
- Scots adopt the National Covenant against Charles I's church changes
- Britain recognises Egypt as an independent country
- C. V. Raman discovers the Raman effect
- An editor discovers that 'dord' is not a real word
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “A general election leaves Britain with a hung parliament”?
- A. 1974
- B. 1915
- C. 1942
In which year did this happen: “Scots adopt the National Covenant against Charles I's church changes”?
- A. 1638
- B. 1922
- C. 1915
Which of these happened first?
- A. A general election leaves Britain with a hung parliament
- B. Britain recognises Egypt as an independent country
- C. Scots adopt the National Covenant against Charles I's church changes
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 28 February. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1638 → 388 years; 1922 → 104 years; 1939 → 87 years; 1974 → 52 years.
Order: 1 = Scots adopt the National Covenant against Charles I's church changes (1638), 2 = Britain recognises Egypt as an independent country (1922), 3 = C. V. Raman discovers the Raman effect (1928), 4 = An editor discovers that 'dord' is not a real word (1939).
Quiz: 1. A (1974); 2. A (1638); 3. C (Scots adopt the National Covenant against Charles I's church changes).