A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 22 May
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 22 May?
- 1200 King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet
- 1377 Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English…
- 1455 Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard…
- 1826 HMS Beagle departed on her first voyage from Plymouth for a hydrographic…
- 1859 Born: Arthur Conan Doyle
- 1897 The first Blackwall Tunnel under the River Thames was opened to improve…
- 1907 Born: Laurence Olivier
- 1972 The Dominion of Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka, adopted a new…
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1200 | King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet | 2026 − 1200 = | |
| 1455 | Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard… | 2026 − 1455 = | |
| 1859 | Born: Arthur Conan Doyle | 2026 − 1859 = | |
| 1907 | Born: Laurence Olivier | 2026 − 1907 = |
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!
- HMS Beagle departed on her first voyage from Plymouth for a hydrographic…
- King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet
- Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English…
- Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard…
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “HMS Beagle departed on her first voyage from Plymouth for a hydrographic”?
- A. 1941
- B. 1826
- C. 1907
In which year did this happen: “The Dominion of Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka, adopted a new”?
- A. 1941
- B. 1826
- C. 1972
Which of these happened first?
- A. The Dominion of Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka, adopted a new
- B. The first Blackwall Tunnel under the River Thames was opened to improve
- C. HMS Beagle departed on her first voyage from Plymouth for a hydrographic
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 22 May. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1200 → 826 years; 1455 → 571 years; 1859 → 167 years; 1907 → 119 years.
Order: 1 = King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet (1200), 2 = Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English… (1377), 3 = Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard… (1455), 4 = HMS Beagle departed on her first voyage from Plymouth for a hydrographic… (1826).
Quiz: 1. B (1826); 2. C (1972); 3. C (HMS Beagle departed on her first voyage from Plymouth for a hydrographic).