A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 10 November
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 10 November?
- 1674 The Dutch hand the colony of New Netherland to England
Following the Treaty of Westminster, which ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch Republic handed the colony of New Netherland to England. - 1697 Born: William Hogarth
William Hogarth, the most important English artist of his generation, was born in the City of London. - 1871 Henry Morton Stanley finds the explorer David Livingstone
Welsh-American journalist Henry Morton Stanley found the Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone at Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika in what is now Tanzania. - 1958 The Hope Diamond is sent to the Smithsonian by post
New York jeweller Harry Winston gave the famous Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Amazingly, he sent it by registered post, in a box wrapped in brown paper. - 1969 Sesame Street is shown on television for the first time
The children's television series Sesame Street was first shown in the United States. - 1983 Bill Gates announces Windows 1.0
Bill Gates introduced Windows 1.0, the first major version of Microsoft Windows. - 2008 NASA ends the mission of its Phoenix lander on Mars
NASA declared its Phoenix mission over, after engineers were unable to contact the lander again. - 2020 The last land mine is cleared from the Falkland Islands
The British government announced that the last land mine had been removed from the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1674 | The Dutch hand the colony of New Netherland to England | 2026 − 1674 = | |
| 1871 | Henry Morton Stanley finds the explorer David Livingstone | 2026 − 1871 = | |
| 1969 | Sesame Street is shown on television for the first time | 2026 − 1969 = | |
| 2008 | NASA ends the mission of its Phoenix lander on Mars | 2026 − 2008 = |
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!
- Henry Morton Stanley finds the explorer David Livingstone
- Sesame Street is shown on television for the first time
- The Dutch hand the colony of New Netherland to England
- The Hope Diamond is sent to the Smithsonian by post
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Henry Morton Stanley finds the explorer David Livingstone”?
- A. 1983
- B. 1871
- C. 1970
In which year did this happen: “The last land mine is cleared from the Falkland Islands”?
- A. 1958
- B. 2020
- C. 1960
Which of these happened first?
- A. The last land mine is cleared from the Falkland Islands
- B. The Dutch hand the colony of New Netherland to England
- C. Henry Morton Stanley finds the explorer David Livingstone
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 10 November. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1674 → 352 years; 1871 → 155 years; 1969 → 57 years; 2008 → 18 years.
Order: 1 = The Dutch hand the colony of New Netherland to England (1674), 2 = Henry Morton Stanley finds the explorer David Livingstone (1871), 3 = The Hope Diamond is sent to the Smithsonian by post (1958), 4 = Sesame Street is shown on television for the first time (1969).
Quiz: 1. B (1871); 2. B (2020); 3. B (The Dutch hand the colony of New Netherland to England).