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A Day in the Past · history worksheet

On this day: 5 June

Name: Class: Date:

1. What happened on 5 June?

  1. 1610 The masque Tethys' Festival was performed at the Palace of Whitehall to…
  2. 1819 Born: John Couch Adams
  3. 1873 Sultan Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar closes the great slave market under the…
  4. 1879 The Zungeni Mountain skirmish took place between British and Zulu forces…
  5. 1883 Born: John Maynard Keynes
  6. 1900 Second Boer War: British soldiers take Pretoria
  7. 1900 Born: Dennis Gabor
  8. 1975 The United Kingdom holds its first country-wide referendum on membership of…

2. How long ago?

This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.

YearWhat happenedSumYears ago
1610The masque Tethys' Festival was performed at the Palace of Whitehall to…2026 − 1610 =
1873Sultan Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar closes the great slave market under the…2026 − 1873 =
1883Born: John Maynard Keynes2026 − 1883 =
1900Born: Dennis Gabor2026 − 1900 =

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!

4. Quick quiz

  1. In which year did this happen: “The masque Tethys' Festival was performed at the Palace of Whitehall to”?

    • A. 1610
    • B. 1993
    • C. 1883

  2. In which year did this happen: “The Zungeni Mountain skirmish took place between British and Zulu forces”?

    • A. 1879
    • B. 1928
    • C. 1949

  3. Which of these happened first?

    • A. Second Boer War: British soldiers take Pretoria
    • B. The Zungeni Mountain skirmish took place between British and Zulu forces
    • C. The masque Tethys' Festival was performed at the Palace of Whitehall to

5. Draw it!

Draw your favourite event from 5 June. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.

Answers for teachers

How long ago: 1610 → 416 years; 1873 → 153 years; 1883 → 143 years; 1900 → 126 years.

Order: 1 = The masque Tethys' Festival was performed at the Palace of Whitehall to… (1610), 2 = Sultan Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar closes the great slave market under the… (1873), 3 = The Zungeni Mountain skirmish took place between British and Zulu forces… (1879), 4 = Second Boer War: British soldiers take Pretoria (1900).

Quiz: 1. A (1610); 2. A (1879); 3. C (The masque Tethys' Festival was performed at the Palace of Whitehall to).