A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 11 June
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 11 June?
- 1509 Catherine of Aragon married King Henry VIII of England
- 1572 Born: Ben Jonson
- 1685 James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, lands at Lyme in Dorset with loyal followers…
- 1770 British explorer Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef
- 1901 The boundaries of the Colony of New Zealand are extended by the UK to include…
- 1914 Around 2,000 members of European society attended a ball at Kenwood House…
- 1959 Born: Hugh Laurie
- 1987 Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant are elected as the first black MPs…
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1509 | Catherine of Aragon married King Henry VIII of England | 2026 − 1509 = | |
| 1685 | James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, lands at Lyme in Dorset with loyal followers… | 2026 − 1685 = | |
| 1901 | The boundaries of the Colony of New Zealand are extended by the UK to include… | 2026 − 1901 = | |
| 1959 | Born: Hugh Laurie | 2026 − 1959 = |
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!
- Catherine of Aragon married King Henry VIII of England
- British explorer Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef
- James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, lands at Lyme in Dorset with loyal followers…
- The boundaries of the Colony of New Zealand are extended by the UK to include…
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Catherine of Aragon married King Henry VIII of England”?
- A. 1509
- B. 1987
- C. 1572
In which year did this happen: “British explorer Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef”?
- A. 1770
- B. 1987
- C. 1482
Which of these happened first?
- A. Catherine of Aragon married King Henry VIII of England
- B. British explorer Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef
- C. Around 2,000 members of European society attended a ball at Kenwood House
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 11 June. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1509 → 517 years; 1685 → 341 years; 1901 → 125 years; 1959 → 67 years.
Order: 1 = Catherine of Aragon married King Henry VIII of England (1509), 2 = James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, lands at Lyme in Dorset with loyal followers… (1685), 3 = British explorer Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef (1770), 4 = The boundaries of the Colony of New Zealand are extended by the UK to include… (1901).
Quiz: 1. A (1509); 2. A (1770); 3. A (Catherine of Aragon married King Henry VIII of England).