Opened on 7th July 1948, Amgueddfa Werin Cymru, the National Museum of Wales, at St Fagans on the outskirts of Cardiff.

St Fagans is among the most popular open-air museums in Europe and is the most visited heritage attraction in Wales. It is situated in the manicured grounds of St Fagans Castle. The castle itself is a late 16th-century manor house which was donated to the people of Wales by the Earl of Plymouth. Since the museum's inauguration more than sixty years ago, in excess of forty original buildings from various historical periods have been reconstructed in the castle's 100 acre area of parkland.

These buildings include a farm, a chapel, a church, a school, and a  Workmen's Institute. Visitors can also see a variety of workshops where traditional craftsmen demonstrate their skills. The objects of their craftsmanship are usually on sale. Welsh breeds of livestock are raised in the farmyards and fields, and ancient farmyard tasks are demonstrated every day. Visitors can gain an understanding of the unique culture and heritage of Wales, and can also hear the Welsh language being used by staff, craftsmen and interpreters. There are many galleries exhibiting artefacts from daily life, farming and costume from various periods in Welsh history.

Throughout the year traditional festivals, including music and dance, are celebrated, providing insight and pleasure to generations of visitors who are interested in the language, culture and history of Wales.

During the First Battle of the Somme, one of the most brutal battles of the First World War, the 38th (Welsh) Division was given the job of attacking Mametz Wood on 7th July 1916 but were forced to retreat because of the intensity of German machine gun fire from the wood.

They were ordered to regroup and attack for a second time on the 10th July and succeeded in reaching the wood. By the 12th July, the Germans and their machine guns had been cleared out of the woods but the Welsh Division had lost more than 4,000 men. 

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Born 7th July 1941 in Gorseinon, near Swansea, Michael Howard, politician.

He is widely remembered for not answering the same question 12 times by Jeremy Paxman during a 1997 edition of Newsnight, and for Ann Widdecombe's claim that "there is something of the night about him." 

Before he entered Parliament, Michael Howard was a barrister, specialising in Town and Country Planning.  He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1982 and entered Parliament as the Member for Folkestone and Hythe the following year. He was appointed Minister for the City in 1985 and in 1990 he entered the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Employment.  In 1992, he became Secretary of State for the Environment and succeeded in persuading the Administration of George Bush Snr to sign up to the Climate Change Convention, the forerunner of the Kyoto Agreement.  From 1993 to 1997 he was Home Secretary during which time David Cameron worked as one of his Special Advisers.

After the 1997 election, he served as Shadow Foreign Secretary.  Between 2001 and 2003 he was Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and in 2003 was elected unopposed as Leader of the Opposition.  He was named Parliamentarian of the Year in 2003 and went on to take part in many memorable encounters with Tony Blair at Prime Minister’s Questions.   He led the Conservative Party in the 2005 election, after which he announced his decision to resign the leadership and was succeeded by David Cameron in December 2005.

Steve  Brace, born on 7th July 1961 in Bridgend, is a former Welsh long-distance runner.

He represented the United Kingdom in the men's marathon at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics, finishing in 27th and 60th place respectively. Brace was successful in the Paris Marathon in 1989 and 1990, and also triumphed in the Berlin Marathon in 1991.

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