A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 16 May
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 16 May?
- 1532 Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England
- 1568 Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England
- 1811 Peninsular War: Allied British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces clashed with…
- 1881 John Richard Clark Hall, a barrister who would go on to write a widely used…
- 1916 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the French Third Republic…
- 1945 Beginning of the Levant Crisis between Britain and France in Syria. The latter…
- 1951 The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild…
- 1991 Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addresses a joint session of the…
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1532 | Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England | 2026 − 1532 = | |
| 1811 | Peninsular War: Allied British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces clashed with… | 2026 − 1811 = | |
| 1916 | The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the French Third Republic… | 2026 − 1916 = | |
| 1951 | The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild… | 2026 − 1951 = |
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!
- Peninsular War: Allied British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces clashed with…
- John Richard Clark Hall, a barrister who would go on to write a widely used…
- Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England
- Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Peninsular War: Allied British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces clashed with”?
- A. 1991
- B. 1811
- C. 1946
In which year did this happen: “Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addresses a joint session of the”?
- A. 1951
- B. 1991
- C. 1532
Which of these happened first?
- A. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addresses a joint session of the
- B. Peninsular War: Allied British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces clashed with
- C. Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 16 May. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1532 → 494 years; 1811 → 215 years; 1916 → 110 years; 1951 → 75 years.
Order: 1 = Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England (1532), 2 = Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England (1568), 3 = Peninsular War: Allied British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces clashed with… (1811), 4 = John Richard Clark Hall, a barrister who would go on to write a widely used… (1881).
Quiz: 1. B (1811); 2. B (1991); 3. C (Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England).