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History date lock

A history riddle where the class guesses the year: three ships across the Atlantic, the fifteenth century, its last decade, and a final digit counted from the ships, entered on a four-digit lock. Five minutes at the start of a lesson on the great voyages, on the class screen or on phones, and you can play it right now. The template is free: it publishes as it is on the free plan, players open a link without signing up, and the lock never expires.

Made for
Teachers and classrooms
Difficulty
Easy
Duration
5 min
Steps
1
Locks used
Numeric code
Play the example
History date lock: Numeric code

Try it before you copy it

What this template contains

  1. step 1 · Numeric code

    Three ships, one year

    ⛵ Three ships, the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María, crossed the Atlantic and reached the Caribbean.

    🕰️ The century is the fifteenth. The decade is the last of that century.
    🚢 The final digit is the number of ships minus one.

    🔢 Which year? Four digits.

Ideas to make it yours

  • Put the map of the voyage or the next reading in the reveal
  • Turn the century, decade and digit into three separate questions
  • Give each row of the class a different date and race them

How to use this template

  1. 1

    Play it here first, exactly as your players will.

  2. 2

    Copy it into the builder, then change the codes, the clues and the reward.

  3. 3

    Publish and share the link or the QR code. Players need no app and no account.

Open it in the builder →

Questions about this template

How does the riddle lead to 1492?
The fifteenth century is the 1400s, its last decade starts with 149, and three ships minus one gives the final 2. Pupils who know the date check it; pupils who do not can still rebuild it, and the hint spells out each step.
Can I use another date from my syllabus?
Yes. Rewrite the riddle for any year, a revolution, a treaty, a landing, and set the code to it. Four digits is the default; any length works, and several dates can be chained into a history escape room.
Is this history riddle lock free?
Yes. It is a basic lock: a riddle, a hint, your own wrong-answer line and a designed reveal with the ship's log. A free account publishes it as it is, players need no account, and it never expires.
Is this template free?
Yes. Playing it, copying it and publishing it cost nothing, and a free lock never expires.
Can I change the answers and the texts?
Yes. Every code, clue, hint and reward opens in the builder, and nothing is saved until you publish.
What do players need?
A phone or a computer with a browser. They open your link or scan your QR code, and never create an account.
How long does it take to play?
About 5 minutes, from the first lock to the reward.

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