On this day in 1935 T.E.Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was fatally injured in a motorbike crash in Dorset.

Thomas Edward Lawrence, born in Tremadog, Caernarfonshire, gained fame as a leader of an Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War One. Lawrence embraced Arabic culture in an attempt to empathise with his Arab partners and it was this ability which made him such a successful military leader.

Winston Churchill said of Lawrence "I deem him one of the greatest beings alive in our time... We shall never see his like again. His name will live in history. It will live in the annals of war... It will live in the legends of Arabia."

Former British Prime Minister, William Gladstone died this day 1898 at Hawarden House, Flintshire.

Hawarden House and estate had previously belonged to the family of his wife, Catherine Glynne, and is still owned by the Gladstone family.In its grounds are the ruins of Hawarden medieval castle, whose earthwork embankments date back to the Iron Age. It was the site of a Norman motte and bailey castle, which played an important role during the Welsh struggle for independence in the 13th century.

On this day 2012 Monmouth became the World's first Wikipedia Town (Monmouthpedia)

Monmouthpedia is Wikipedia's first venture based on a town.  It allows the user to scan barcodes with their mobile phone, at over 1,000 landmarks and points of interest within the town and have information about the landmark sent to their phone in the language of their choice.

One of the main reasons that Monmouth was chosen was because of its varied history;

*   It is mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086.

*   The Normans  built a motte and bailey castle in 1067.

*   The medieval stone gated bridge is the only one remaining in Britain.

*   The castle was the birthplace of King Henry V in 1387.

*   The town was the scene of a major battle in 1233, between the forces of Henry III and those of Richard Marshal, Earl of Pembroke.

*   King Edward II was briefly imprisoned at Monmouth Castle in 1326 after being overthrown by his wife Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.

*   In 1536, Henry VIII imposed the Laws in Wales Acts and Monmouth became the county town of Monmouthshire. 

*   The castle changed hands three times during the English Civil War.

*   By the end of the 18th century, the town was popular with travellers following the "Wye Tour", with poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge, as well as painter J.M.W.Turner being among its visitors.

*   The town was visited in 1802 by Admiral Horatio Nelson, who recognised the importance of the county's woodland in providing timber for the British Navy.

*    In 1840, Chartist leaders John Frost, Zephaniah Williams and William Jones became the last men in Britain to be sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered in the aftermath of the the Newport Riots. The sentences were later commuted to transportation to Van Diemen's Land

*   The town gained its first charter from Henry VI in 1447.

*   The wool industry was important in its early growth, and the knitted Monmouth Cap, was popular from the 15th century onwards.

*   Monmouth had iron and tinplate works, together with paper and corn mills. The town was also an important river port, with warehouses and wharves along the Wye.

*   The Savoy Theatre is the oldest working theatre in Wales.  

Anne Boleyn was beheaded this day 1536

Two of Anne Boleyn's connections with Wales:

In September 1532, Anne Boleyn was made Marquis of Pembroke by Henry Vlll, who awarded her substantial lands in Wales along with the title, making her the first woman to hold a hereditary peerage title in her own right, making her, apart from the Queen, the most important woman in the kingdom.

William Brereton, who was one of the five accused of having an affair with Anne, had been knighted and granted  many lands in Cheshire and North Wales by Henry VIII for his support of the king’s annulment of his first marriage.   

  Born this day 1970 in Aberdare

Stuart Cable , rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics.