A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 12 December
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 12 December?
- 1901 Marconi receives the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic
Guglielmo Marconi received the first radio signal ever sent across the Atlantic Ocean. - 1914 Born: Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian was an English novelist and translator. - 1915 Yuan Shikai declares himself Emperor of China
Yuan Shikai, the president of the Republic of China, declared that China was an empire again, with himself as emperor. - 1963 Kenya becomes independent from Britain
Kenya, in East Africa, became independent after being a colony of the British Empire. - 1969 Born: Fiona May
Fiona May is a long jumper who competed first for the United Kingdom and later for Italy. - 2015 The Paris Agreement on climate change is adopted
Countries meeting near Paris, France, adopted the Paris Agreement, a treaty about climate change. - 2021 Max Verstappen wins the Formula One title on the final lap
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the last race of the 2021 Formula One season. - 2024 Gukesh Dommaraju becomes the youngest world chess champion
Indian chess player Gukesh Dommaraju won a contest in Singapore to become World Chess Champion.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | Marconi receives the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic | 2026 − 1901 = | |
| 1915 | Yuan Shikai declares himself Emperor of China | 2026 − 1915 = | |
| 1969 | Born: Fiona May | 2026 − 1969 = | |
| 2021 | Max Verstappen wins the Formula One title on the final lap | 2026 − 2021 = |
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!
- Yuan Shikai declares himself Emperor of China
- The Paris Agreement on climate change is adopted
- Kenya becomes independent from Britain
- Marconi receives the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Marconi receives the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic”?
- A. 1981
- B. 1963
- C. 1901
In which year was Patrick O'Brian born?
- A. 2021
- B. 1914
- C. 1901
Which of these happened first?
- A. Kenya becomes independent from Britain
- B. Marconi receives the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic
- C. Max Verstappen wins the Formula One title on the final lap
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 12 December. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1901 → 125 years; 1915 → 111 years; 1969 → 57 years; 2021 → 5 years.
Order: 1 = Marconi receives the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic (1901), 2 = Yuan Shikai declares himself Emperor of China (1915), 3 = Kenya becomes independent from Britain (1963), 4 = The Paris Agreement on climate change is adopted (2015).
Quiz: 1. C (1901); 2. B (1914); 3. B (Marconi receives the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic).