1. We use it with finished actions, states, or habits in the past when we have a finished time word
(yesterday, last week, at 2 o'clock, in 2003).I went to the cinema yesterday.
We spent a lot of time in Japan in 2007.
2. We use it with finished actions, states, or habits in the past when we know from general knowledge that the time period has finished. This includes when the person we are talking about is dead.
Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa.
The Vikings invaded Britain.
3. For stories or lists of events, we often use the past simple for the actions in the story and the past continuous for the background.
He went to a café. People were chatting and music was playing. He sat down and ordered a coffee.