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20th March
On this day 1345, a Saturn-Jupiter-Mars-conjunction occurred, which people at the time thought was the cause of the Black Death
The Black Death (The Plague) was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350, ranging between 75 million and 200 million people.
It is thought that the pathogen responsible was the Yersinia Pestis bacterium and is thought to have started in China or central Asia, before travelling along the trade route called the Silk Road, reaching the Crimea by 1346 and from there, carried by fleas on black rats on merchant ships into the Mediterranean and Europe
It struck Bristol in the summer of 1348 and arrived in Wales later that year, killing an estimated 30% of the population. Further outbreaks of the plague occurred in 1360 and 1369 though these were not so virulent, however, it took 150 years for Europe's population to recover .
Celtic Festivals
The Spring or Vernal Equinox.
An equinox occurs twice a year, around 20 March and 22 September, on which days, daytime and night are of approximately equal duration. The word comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night).
It is also known by the names;
Alban Eiler (Celtic), Ostara (Old English) and Ēastre ( Northumbrian)
Equinoxes were celebrated in Britain before Celtic times as shown by the illumination of Megalithic passages and chambers from the rising sun on the mornings of the equinoxes. The Celts continued the tradition, celebrating the renewal of life after the hard winter months, with large open fires and rowan twigs being used to make equal-armed crosses that symbolized divine and psychic protection.
It is thought that the Christian religion later adapted this festival as Easter, the time for celebrating Christ’s victory over death and several current Easter traditions including the Easter Bunny and the decorating of eggs being considered to have originated in the pre-Christian celebrations.
In the Mabinogion, this is the time when the God of Light conquers his darker twin and was presided over by Bran and Rhiannon.
Bran was a Welsh King who sought to bring enemies into peaceful accord and Rhiannon was as the mother goddess of fertility who also aided the growth of new vegetation.
Born this day, 1942 in Caernarfon
Wyn Davies, former Wales soccer international. Best known for playing for Newcastle United, with whom won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969. He was regarded as the perfect target man, as he was brave and had fantastic aerial ability. Nicknamed 'Wyn the Leap' and 'The Mighty Wyn'
The crime drama film, Tiger Bay was released on 20th March 1959 , starring John Mills, his daughter Hayley and Horst Buchholz. The film was made mainly on location in Tiger Bay in Cardiff, at Newport Transporter Bridge and at Avonmouth Docks in Bristol.
On 20th March 1975 the Cleddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire was opened.
The River Cleddau divides Pembrokeshire in two and before the bridge was built the only means of crossing was by steam-driven ferry boats from the Admiralty's dockyard in Pembroke Dock to Neyland. However as the amount of traffic increased, it was decided in the mid 1960s to build a bridge.
Tragically, during construction, one of the box girder sections crashed to the ground, killing nine people and there could have been countless more as the bridge was almost directly above the village of Pembroke Ferry and the debris missed houses by only a few feet.
At the subsequent inquiry, it was found that the cause of the disaster was a combination of inadequate supports for the box girder sections and poor site organisation and communication
However, as a result, new requirements for the design and construction of Box Girder bridges were implemented.
On 20th March 1899, poet and tramp W H Davies lost a foot when attempting to jump from a freight train in Ontario.
Davies was born in Pillgwenlly, Newport in 1871 and at the age of 22, went to the United States to seek his fortune.
For the next five years he travelled widely including an attempt to make his fortune at the Klondike gold rush, but when he lost his foot and later had his leg below the knee amputated, he decided to return to Wales.
He began publishing his poetry in 1905 and later described his adventures in his autobiography entitled, Autobiography of a Super Tramp, from which it is alleged that the band Supertramp got its name.
Born on this day 1852 in Llanybydder in Carmarthenshire.
Reverend John Gwenogvryn Evans (20 March 1852 – 25 March 1930) - Welsh palaeographic expert.
After being forced to retire from being a Unitarian minister due to ill-health, Evans took up collecting and making copies of ancient Welsh manuscripts, such as the books of Aneirin and Taliesin.
He then became employed by the Historical Manuscripts Commission in Oxford, producing a significant report on manuscripts in the Welsh language. In 1905, he was instrumental in the purchase of the Peniarth manuscript collection from Sir John Williams, which is now kept at the National Library of Wales.
