A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 21 November
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 21 November?
- 1620 Mayflower passengers sign the Mayflower Compact
While the Mayflower was anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor, in Massachusetts, 41 of its passengers signed the Mayflower Compact. - 1676 Ole Rømer shows that light travels at a measurable speed
Danish astronomer Ole Rømer presented the first measurements of the speed of light. - 1840 Born: Victoria, Princess Royal
Victoria was the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. - 1877 Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph
American inventor Thomas Edison announced his invention of the phonograph, a machine that could record sound and play it back. - 1905 Einstein's paper leading to E = mc² is published
A scientific paper by Albert Einstein was published in the German journal Annalen der Physik. - 1918 Women win the right to be elected to Parliament
The Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 was passed. - 1924 Born: Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien was an English writer and editor, and the son of J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings. - 1953 Scientists reveal that Piltdown Man was a fake
The Natural History Museum in London announced that the 'Piltdown Man' skull was a hoax.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1620 | Mayflower passengers sign the Mayflower Compact | 2026 − 1620 = | |
| 1840 | Born: Victoria, Princess Royal | 2026 − 1840 = | |
| 1905 | Einstein's paper leading to E = mc² is published | 2026 − 1905 = | |
| 1924 | Born: Christopher Tolkien | 2026 − 1924 = |
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!
- Mayflower passengers sign the Mayflower Compact
- Einstein's paper leading to E = mc² is published
- Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph
- Ole Rømer shows that light travels at a measurable speed
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Scientists reveal that Piltdown Man was a fake”?
- A. 1953
- B. 1969
- C. 1964
In which year did this happen: “Women win the right to be elected to Parliament”?
- A. 1918
- B. 1924
- C. 1989
Which of these happened first?
- A. Scientists reveal that Piltdown Man was a fake
- B. Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph
- C. Women win the right to be elected to Parliament
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 21 November. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1620 → 406 years; 1840 → 186 years; 1905 → 121 years; 1924 → 102 years.
Order: 1 = Mayflower passengers sign the Mayflower Compact (1620), 2 = Ole Rømer shows that light travels at a measurable speed (1676), 3 = Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph (1877), 4 = Einstein's paper leading to E = mc² is published (1905).
Quiz: 1. A (1953); 2. A (1918); 3. B (Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph).