A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 3 December
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 3 December?
- 1838 Born: Octavia Hill
Octavia Hill was an English social reformer and a founder of the National Trust. - 1925 A final agreement confirms the partition of Ireland
The Irish Free State, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom signed a final agreement confirming the partition, or division, of Ireland. - 1927 Laurel and Hardy's first official film as a team is released
Putting Pants on Philip, a short silent comedy starring Laurel and Hardy, was released. - 1967 Christiaan Barnard performs the first human heart transplant
At Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, surgeon Christiaan Barnard carried out the first successful human heart transplant. - 1989 Bush and Gorbachev signal that the Cold War may be ending
At a meeting off the coast of Malta, US President George H. W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev made statements suggesting that the Cold War might be coming to an end. - 1990 Mary Robinson becomes Ireland's first woman president
Mary Robinson took office as President of Ireland, the first woman to hold the job. - 1992 The world's first text message is sent in the UK
Neil Papworth, a test engineer for the company Sema Group, sent the world's first text message. - 1994 Sony releases the first PlayStation games console in Japan
Sony released its PlayStation home video games console in Japan.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1838 | Born: Octavia Hill | 2026 − 1838 = | |
| 1927 | Laurel and Hardy's first official film as a team is released | 2026 − 1927 = | |
| 1989 | Bush and Gorbachev signal that the Cold War may be ending | 2026 − 1989 = | |
| 1992 | The world's first text message is sent in the UK | 2026 − 1992 = |
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!
- A final agreement confirms the partition of Ireland
- Christiaan Barnard performs the first human heart transplant
- Bush and Gorbachev signal that the Cold War may be ending
- Laurel and Hardy's first official film as a team is released
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Laurel and Hardy's first official film as a team is released”?
- A. 1927
- B. 1973
- C. 1989
In which year did this happen: “A final agreement confirms the partition of Ireland”?
- A. 1925
- B. 2014
- C. 1992
Which of these happened first?
- A. Laurel and Hardy's first official film as a team is released
- B. The world's first text message is sent in the UK
- C. A final agreement confirms the partition of Ireland
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 3 December. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1838 → 188 years; 1927 → 99 years; 1989 → 37 years; 1992 → 34 years.
Order: 1 = A final agreement confirms the partition of Ireland (1925), 2 = Laurel and Hardy's first official film as a team is released (1927), 3 = Christiaan Barnard performs the first human heart transplant (1967), 4 = Bush and Gorbachev signal that the Cold War may be ending (1989).
Quiz: 1. A (1927); 2. A (1925); 3. C (A final agreement confirms the partition of Ireland).