Born this day 1829, in Groes, Denbighshire,

Isaac Roberts, who was best known for his work as an astronomer and has t he Roberts crater on the moon is named after him.

Roberts also helped make considerable advancements in the field of astrophotography and invented a machine called the Stellar Pantograver that could engrave stellar positions on copper plates.  Although spending most of his adult life in England, he remained a patriotic Welshman.

Born this day 1790, in St Dogmaels, Pembrokeshire,

William Davies Evans -  inventor and originator of a world famous chess opening gambit, known as 'The Evans Gambit'.  His most famous invention was the tri-coloured lighting on naval vessels designed to prevent collisions at night.

Born on this day 1972 in Carmarthen. 

Wynne Evans, who is a tenor, is best known for the "Go compare" television adverts.  He also famously responded to the All Blacks "Haka" in the Wales versus New Zealand rugby international of 2004,  by singing Cwm Rhondda.  He has subsequently gone on to sing at over 30 Welsh International matches.

On 27th January  1883, in the same ferocious  storm, the vessel James Gray was wrecked on the Tusker Rocks off Porthcawl and the ship The  Agnes Jack off Port Eynon. The Mumbles lifeboat put out, and 5 of its crew were drowned in the rescue attempt.

On 27th January 1884, 18 men were killed in a gas explosion at the Naval Collieries, Penygraig in the Rhondda Valley.  It was reported that a white column shot up from the pit's mouth  followed by clouds of sparks and showers of fiery dust.

Ironically, the explosion occurred during a safety inspection and those who lost their lives were company officials, firemen and the attendants of the pit horses.

On 27th January 1940, Wales was engulfed by a freak ice storm

It had been an extremely cold January in Wales, with a temperature of -23 being recorded in Rhayader a few days earlier. The precipitation of 27th January was of the supercooled nature, so when the rain hit the surface it would freeze instantly. This is a rare event in the UK and the 1940 ice storm is reckoned to be the severest that has struck the UK in recorded history.

The storm lasted for 48 hours in places, causing telegraph poles and wires to snapped, unable to cope with the weight of the ice. Tree branches were snapped off  and birds were grounded. Travel was nearly impossible as roads iced over and inclines were impossible to climb.