Dylan Marlais Thomas was born on October 27, 1914, at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive in Swansea. His father was an English teacher at the local grammar school and would recite Shakespeare to Thomas before he could read.  

 He therefore excelled in English and reading but neglected other subjects and dropped out of school at sixteen to become a junior reporter for a local newspaper.  Then in 1932, he decided to concentrate on poetry full time. 

In 1934,  Thomas moved to London and published his first book of poems, to great acclaim. Two years later, Thomas met the dancer Caitlin Macnamara and married in 1937. The marriage however, was turbulent, with rumours of both having multiple affairs.  The couple left London in 1944 and eventually settled at the Boat House in Laugharne. 

In January 1950, Thomas engaged on a reading tour in America, which was a great success. However on a further tour in 1953, he collapsed in the Chelsea Hotel after a long drinking bout at the White Horse Tavern and on November 9th, he died at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City at the age of 39.

He is buried in Laugharne and has a memorial plaque in Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey.  

Born on this day 1617 in Knucklas, Radnorshire.

Puritan preacher - Vavasor Powell

Powell was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, before returning to Wales as a schoolmaster during which time he also became an itinerant Puritan preacher, travelling throughout Wales.

In the build up to the English Civil War, Powell was forcibly removed from Llanyrne Church in Ross by the Royalist Bishop Hugh Lloyd and imprisoned.  At the end of theFirst Civil War in 1646,  Powell returned to Wales and resumed his itinerant preaching. 

In 1650, he was  appointed by Parliament to identify incompetent ministers, but was arrested again in 1653, for criticising Oliver Cromwell for  accepting the office of Lord Protector.  After the Restoration in 1660, Powell was arrested again and spent the majority of his last ten years in prison.  

On October 27th 1913, South Wales experienced a tornado which was described as 'unusually destructive'. 

The storm was short, but the damage it caused was extensive.  It was at its worst at Edwardsville, where a man and a small boy were killed, houses were destroyed, and trees uprooted. 

Vice Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas (27 October 1862 – 30 August 1928)  was a British Royal Navy officer, who distinguished himself at The Battle of Jutland during World War I and of whom, Admiral of the Fleet John Jellicoe had the greatest admiration.

Thomas' family owned the Llwynmadoc estate near Beulah, Powys, the Gnoll in Neath and Pencerrig near Builth Wells. After his death, a memorial service was held at Eglwys Oen Duw church in Beulah and a year later, Neath council purchased the Gnoll estate, to serve as a public park, where a war memorial would later be erected.