A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 20 April
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 20 April?
- 1653 Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament
- 1826 Born: Dinah Craik
- 1924 Born: Leslie Phillips
- 1943 Born: John Eliot Gardiner
- 1949 Amethyst incident: The People's Liberation Army attacks HMS Amethyst (F116)…
- 1949 Born: Veronica Cartwright
- 1964 Born: Andy Serkis
- 1968 Enoch Powell, a British Conservative member of Parliament, made a…
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1653 | Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament | 2026 − 1653 = | |
| 1924 | Born: Leslie Phillips | 2026 − 1924 = | |
| 1949 | Amethyst incident: The People's Liberation Army attacks HMS Amethyst (F116)… | 2026 − 1949 = | |
| 1964 | Born: Andy Serkis | 2026 − 1964 = |
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!
- Amethyst incident: The People's Liberation Army attacks HMS Amethyst (F116)…
- Enoch Powell, a British Conservative member of Parliament, made a…
- Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Enoch Powell, a British Conservative member of Parliament, made a”?
- A. 1949
- B. 1826
- C. 1968
In which year did this happen: “Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament”?
- A. 1653
- B. 1968
- C. 1953
Which of these happened first?
- A. Enoch Powell, a British Conservative member of Parliament, made a
- B. Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament
- C. Amethyst incident: The People's Liberation Army attacks HMS Amethyst (F116)
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 20 April. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1653 → 373 years; 1924 → 102 years; 1949 → 77 years; 1964 → 62 years.
Order: 1 = Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament (1653), 2 = Amethyst incident: The People's Liberation Army attacks HMS Amethyst (F116)… (1949), 3 = Enoch Powell, a British Conservative member of Parliament, made a… (1968).
Quiz: 1. C (1968); 2. A (1653); 3. B (Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament).