A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 21 May
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 21 May?
- 1424 Coronation of James I of Scotland at Scone
- 1527 Born: Philip II of Spain
- 1554 Queen Mary I grants a royal charter to Derby School, as a grammar school for…
- 1703 English writer Daniel Defoe was imprisoned for seditious libel
- 1894 The Manchester Ship Canal in the United Kingdom is officially opened by Queen…
- 1917 The Imperial War Graves Commission was established by royal charter to mark…
- 1982 Falklands War: A British amphibious assault during Operation Sutton leads to…
- 1988 Margaret Thatcher holds her controversial Sermon on the Mound before the…
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1424 | Coronation of James I of Scotland at Scone | 2026 − 1424 = | |
| 1554 | Queen Mary I grants a royal charter to Derby School, as a grammar school for… | 2026 − 1554 = | |
| 1894 | The Manchester Ship Canal in the United Kingdom is officially opened by Queen… | 2026 − 1894 = | |
| 1982 | Falklands War: A British amphibious assault during Operation Sutton leads to… | 2026 − 1982 = |
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!
- Queen Mary I grants a royal charter to Derby School, as a grammar school for…
- The Manchester Ship Canal in the United Kingdom is officially opened by Queen…
- English writer Daniel Defoe was imprisoned for seditious libel
- Coronation of James I of Scotland at Scone
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “English writer Daniel Defoe was imprisoned for seditious libel”?
- A. 1988
- B. 1703
- C. 1966
In which year did this happen: “Margaret Thatcher holds her controversial Sermon on the Mound before the”?
- A. 1554
- B. 1988
- C. 1424
Which of these happened first?
- A. Margaret Thatcher holds her controversial Sermon on the Mound before the
- B. The Imperial War Graves Commission was established by royal charter to mark
- C. English writer Daniel Defoe was imprisoned for seditious libel
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 21 May. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1424 → 602 years; 1554 → 472 years; 1894 → 132 years; 1982 → 44 years.
Order: 1 = Coronation of James I of Scotland at Scone (1424), 2 = Queen Mary I grants a royal charter to Derby School, as a grammar school for… (1554), 3 = English writer Daniel Defoe was imprisoned for seditious libel (1703), 4 = The Manchester Ship Canal in the United Kingdom is officially opened by Queen… (1894).
Quiz: 1. B (1703); 2. B (1988); 3. C (English writer Daniel Defoe was imprisoned for seditious libel).