Social SciencesFreePrintable

Historical Crisis Timeline

A free social sciences worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Historical Crisis Timeline

Build and interpret timelines to investigate how crises unfold and how people respond. Use the source cards and timeline below. Dates are given in years; events within the same year may not be shown in exact order.

Source cards: crises across time

Read each card. A crisis can be a sudden disaster or a longer disruption, and its effects may continue after the event itself.

1886 — Mount Tarawera eruption. The eruption devastated settlements around Rotorua and buried Te Wairoa. Māori communities experienced profound loss; the eruption also reshaped the surrounding landscape and affected tourism.

1918 — Influenza pandemic reaches Aotearoa New Zealand. The disease spread rapidly, with especially high mortality among Māori. Communities, health workers and local authorities tried to limit transmission and care for the sick.

1929 — The Wall Street Crash marks a turning point in a global economic crisis. Falling trade and employment brought hardship to New Zealand during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

1931 — Hawke’s Bay earthquake. A powerful earthquake devastated Napier and Hastings, causing major loss of life and damage. Recovery included rebuilding Napier’s central city in the Art Deco style.

1939–1945 — Second World War. New Zealand entered the war in 1939. The conflict affected service members and families, while the country mobilised people and resources. The war in Europe ended in May 1945; Japan surrendered in August.

2010–2011 — Canterbury earthquakes. A damaging earthquake struck near Darfield in 2010; a shallower, destructive earthquake struck Christchurch in February 2011. The events caused deaths, damaged buildings and infrastructure, and led to years of recovery.

1.Timeline check: Use the dates on the source cards to identify the earliest and latest crises. Write each event and its year.

2.Order these events from earliest to latest by writing 1–4 beside them: 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake; 1918 influenza pandemic; 1929 Wall Street Crash; 1886 Mount Tarawera eruption.

3.On the timeline, mark the years 1886, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1945 and 2011. Label each with the matching event from the source cards.

4.Which event lasted across the longest span of calendar years in the source cards? Explain how you can tell.

5.A student places the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake before the 1929 Wall Street Crash because the earthquake happened in New Zealand. What is wrong with this reasoning?

6.Compare the 1886 eruption and the 1918 influenza pandemic. Identify one difference in how each crisis affected people, using evidence from the cards.

7.Which pair of events best shows that crises can be followed by long-term recovery or change? Choose one pair and explain the connection.

8.The source cards describe some crises as sudden and others as extended. Classify each: Mount Tarawera eruption (1886), Great Depression (beginning 1929), Second World War (1939–1945).

9.The cards note that influenza mortality was especially high among Māori. Why is it important for a historical timeline or account to include who was most affected, not only the date of a crisis?

10.Choose one crisis from the cards. Write a short museum timeline caption (2–3 sentences) that gives its date, one consequence and one response or lasting change. Do not claim more than the source supports.