A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 12 November
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 12 November?
- 1439 Plymouth becomes the first town incorporated by Parliament
Plymouth in Devon became the first town to be incorporated by the English Parliament, which made it an official borough. - 1835 The Wilberforce Monument is completed in Hull
Building work was completed on the Wilberforce Monument in Kingston upon Hull, the city where William Wilberforce was born. - 1842 Born: John William Strutt, Lord Rayleigh
John William Strutt, later Lord Rayleigh, was born. - 1936 The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens
The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opened to traffic in California. - 1973 The first series of Last of the Summer Wine begins on the BBC
The first series of Last of the Summer Wine began on BBC television, after a one-off trial episode in January. - 1980 Voyager 1 makes its closest flyby of Saturn
NASA's space probe Voyager 1 made its closest approach to Saturn, passing about 124,000 kilometres above the planet's cloud tops. - 1990 Tim Berners-Lee publishes his plan for the World Wide Web
English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee published a formal proposal for the World Wide Web. - 2014 Philae becomes the first spacecraft to land on a comet
The European Space Agency's lander Philae touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, the first spacecraft ever to land on a comet.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1439 | Plymouth becomes the first town incorporated by Parliament | 2026 − 1439 = | |
| 1842 | Born: John William Strutt, Lord Rayleigh | 2026 − 1842 = | |
| 1973 | The first series of Last of the Summer Wine begins on the BBC | 2026 − 1973 = | |
| 1990 | Tim Berners-Lee publishes his plan for the World Wide Web | 2026 − 1990 = |
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!
- The Wilberforce Monument is completed in Hull
- Plymouth becomes the first town incorporated by Parliament
- The first series of Last of the Summer Wine begins on the BBC
- The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Tim Berners-Lee publishes his plan for the World Wide Web”?
- A. 1958
- B. 1990
- C. 1936
In which year did this happen: “The first series of Last of the Summer Wine begins on the BBC”?
- A. 1835
- B. 1973
- C. 1981
Which of these happened first?
- A. The first series of Last of the Summer Wine begins on the BBC
- B. Plymouth becomes the first town incorporated by Parliament
- C. Tim Berners-Lee publishes his plan for the World Wide Web
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 12 November. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1439 → 587 years; 1842 → 184 years; 1973 → 53 years; 1990 → 36 years.
Order: 1 = Plymouth becomes the first town incorporated by Parliament (1439), 2 = The Wilberforce Monument is completed in Hull (1835), 3 = The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens (1936), 4 = The first series of Last of the Summer Wine begins on the BBC (1973).
Quiz: 1. B (1990); 2. B (1973); 3. B (Plymouth becomes the first town incorporated by Parliament).