The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)  was established on July 29th 1958, with the aim of encouraging peaceful applications in space science.

Some of Wales's connections with NASA:

*  George W. S. Abbey Sr is a former Director of the NASA Johnson Space Centre.  His mother was from Laugharne and he has a lifelong interest in Wales and its heritage. He is also an Honorary Fellow of Swansea University.

*  Dafydd Williams, whose father emigrated to Canada from Bargoed and is exceptionally proud of his Welsh heritage, is a NASA Astronaut and A&E consultant who has shared insights into creating safer working systems with NHS staff across Wales.  Dr Williams served on two shuttle missions, in 1998 and 2007, when he was mission specialist on the space shuttle Endeavour and took part in three of the four spacewalks.

*  Cardiff-born Dr John “Tony” Llewellyn resigned from Nasa’s spaceman corps in 1968, less than  a year before the historic lunar landings which could have seen his name added to the cosmic annals of history. Llewellyn took the decision to opt out because he’d failed to master piloting jet aircraft “blindfolded”.  A special ruling had been made, making him one of only two men at the time to receive astronaut status despite not being American-born.

*  The Welsh Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor John Harries, was awarded NASA's most prestigious civilian honour in recognition of his distinguished public service in advancing knowledge of the Earth's atmosphere and climate change.

On 29th July 1981, twenty year-old  Diana Spencer became Princess of Wales when she married the Prince Charles at St Paul's Cathedral.  Her wedding ring was made from Welsh gold.

Some other Welsh connections of Princess Diana;

*  Her first official tour with the Prince of Wales was a three-day visit to Wales in October 1981.

*  During the tour to Wales in 1981, Diana was  given the Freedom of Cardiff at a ceremony in St Davids Hall, where she made her first public speech, part of which was in Welsh.

*  The Princess of Wales Hospital is a district general hospital  located on the outskirts of Bridgend.

*  Princess Diana supported the Welsh rugby team and regularly attended international matches. 

*  The hymn "Cwm Rhondda was sung at Diana's funeral.

*  Eight members of the Welsh Guards accompanied Diana's coffin on its procession through the streets of London.

Captain America: The First Avenger, released on 29th July 2011, is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America.  War scenes were filmed at the former Royal Navy Propellant Factory in the Welsh village of Caerwent.

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Risen, released on 29th July 2010, is a film biopic, directed by Neil Jones, of the Welsh boxer Howard Winstone from Merthyr Tydfil.

Howard became Featherweight Champion of the World at the age of 29 in 1968. As a young man he lost the tips of three fingers in an industrial accident. He was no longer able to make a fist with his right hand, which was a devastating blow for a professional boxer, especially one such as Winstone who was renowned for his right-handed power. Howard, however, completely changed the way he boxed and went on, remarkably, to become British Champion, European Champion and World Champion.

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In July 2005, a rare Sooty Tern was spotted in the Skerries, Anglesey. It was only the second sighting of the bird in Wales in the past century, and the first sighting in the UK since 1980.

Hundreds of birdwatchers, or twitchers, from all over Britain descended on Anglesey to see the bird, which is normally found in the tropics or the South Atlantic. Boatmen in Holyhead, Cemaes and Amlwch laid on charter trips.

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