A Day in the Past · history worksheet
On this day: 18 December
Name: Class: Date:
1. What happened on 18 December?
- 1271 Kublai Khan founds the Yuan dynasty of China
Kublai Khan gave his empire the name 'Great Yuan', marking the official start of the Yuan dynasty. - 1655 The Whitehall Conference finds no law keeping Jews out of England
Oliver Cromwell had called together merchants, clergymen and lawyers to debate whether Jews should be allowed back into England. - 1707 Born: Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley was an English clergyman and one of the leaders of the Methodist movement. - 1792 Thomas Paine is found guilty over his book Rights of Man
English-born writer Thomas Paine was found guilty of seditious libel, which means publishing words meant to turn people against the government. - 1856 Born: J. J. Thomson
Sir J. J. Thomson was a British physicist. - 1958 SCORE, the first communications satellite, is launched
The United States launched SCORE, the world's first purpose-built communications satellite. - 1969 On Her Majesty's Secret Service has its premiere in London
On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the sixth James Bond film, had its premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London. - 2015 Kellingley Colliery, Britain's last deep coal mine, closes
Kellingley Colliery in North Yorkshire, the last deep coal mine in Great Britain, closed.
2. How long ago?
This year is 2026. Work out how many years ago each thing happened.
| Year | What happened | Sum | Years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1271 | Kublai Khan founds the Yuan dynasty of China | 2026 − 1271 = | |
| 1707 | Born: Charles Wesley | 2026 − 1707 = | |
| 1856 | Born: J. J. Thomson | 2026 − 1856 = | |
| 1969 | On Her Majesty's Secret Service has its premiere in London | 2026 − 1969 = |
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 Whitehall Conference finds no law keeping Jews out of England
- SCORE, the first communications satellite, is launched
- Kublai Khan founds the Yuan dynasty of China
- Thomas Paine is found guilty over his book Rights of Man
4. Quick quiz
In which year did this happen: “Thomas Paine is found guilty over his book Rights of Man”?
- A. 1707
- B. 1792
- C. 1892
In which year did this happen: “On Her Majesty's Secret Service has its premiere in London”?
- A. 2022
- B. 1969
- C. 1271
Which of these happened first?
- A. The Whitehall Conference finds no law keeping Jews out of England
- B. Thomas Paine is found guilty over his book Rights of Man
- C. On Her Majesty's Secret Service has its premiere in London
5. Draw it!
Draw your favourite event from 18 December. Then write a sentence about why you chose it.
Answers for teachers
How long ago: 1271 → 755 years; 1707 → 319 years; 1856 → 170 years; 1969 → 57 years.
Order: 1 = Kublai Khan founds the Yuan dynasty of China (1271), 2 = The Whitehall Conference finds no law keeping Jews out of England (1655), 3 = Thomas Paine is found guilty over his book Rights of Man (1792), 4 = SCORE, the first communications satellite, is launched (1958).
Quiz: 1. B (1792); 2. B (1969); 3. A (The Whitehall Conference finds no law keeping Jews out of England).