A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 23 May
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 23 May?
- 1308 Robert the Bruce, king of Scots, defeats John Comyn, earl of Buchan…
- 1533 Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, annulled Henry VIII's marriage to…
- 1919 Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji, a Kurdish sheikh and at-the-time governor of the…
- 1933 Born: Joan Collins
- 1967 Born: Philip Selway
- 1971 Born: George Osborne
- 1997 Born: Joe Gomez
- 1998 The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with…
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1308 | Robert the Bruce, king of Scots, defeats John Comyn, earl of Buchan… | 2026 − 1308 = | |
| 1919 | Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji, a Kurdish sheikh and at-the-time governor of the… | 2026 − 1919 = | |
| 1967 | Born: Philip Selway | 2026 − 1967 = | |
| 1997 | Born: Joe Gomez | 2026 − 1997 = |
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!
- Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji, a Kurdish sheikh and at-the-time governor of the…
- The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with…
- Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, annulled Henry VIII's marriage to…
- Robert the Bruce, king of Scots, defeats John Comyn, earl of Buchan…
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, annulled Henry VIII's marriage to”?
- A. 1997
- B. 1533
- C. 1977
In which year did this happen: “Robert the Bruce, king of Scots, defeats John Comyn, earl of Buchan”?
- A. 1950
- B. 1919
- C. 1308
Which of these happened first?
- A. Robert the Bruce, king of Scots, defeats John Comyn, earl of Buchan
- B. The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with
- C. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, annulled Henry VIII's marriage to
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 23 May. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1308 → 718 years; 1919 → 107 years; 1967 → 59 years; 1997 → 29 years.
Order: 1 = Robert the Bruce, king of Scots, defeats John Comyn, earl of Buchan… (1308), 2 = Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, annulled Henry VIII's marriage to… (1533), 3 = Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji, a Kurdish sheikh and at-the-time governor of the… (1919), 4 = The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with… (1998).
Quiz: 1. B (1533); 2. C (1308); 3. A (Robert the Bruce, king of Scots, defeats John Comyn, earl of Buchan).