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2nd January
The Cardiff Blitz, were the World War II bombings of Cardiff, by the Nazi German Luftwaffe, between July 1940 and March 1944. The worst night of bombings occurred on 2nd January 1941, when, 100 German aircraft took part in a 10-hour raid, that saw 165 people killed and 427 more injured, while nearly 350 homes were destroyed or had to be demolished. Western Cardiff was the worst hit area, particularly Canton and Riverside, where 116 people were killed, 50 of which were killed in one street in Riverside, De Burgh Street.
Cardiff was targeted because Cardiff Docks was one of the biggest coal ports in the world. In total, more than 2,100 bombs fell in the Cardiff district during the four years of bombings, with 355 people killed and 502 injured.
Born on this day 1856 in Pentrepoeth, Swansea.
John Viriamu Jones - scientist, who worked on measuring the ohm and an educationalist who worked to raise the standard of secondary education in Wales.
Jones was the first principal of Cardiff and Sheffield Universities, first vice-chancellor of the University of Wales and also principal of the Cardiff Technical School.
He was named after John Williams, the missionary to the South Pacific, 'Viriamu', in the language of the South Pacific island of Erromango means "Williams".
British Steel had just reported half-yearly losses and claimed it needed to reduce its workforce by approximately 30% in order to get back into profit. The steel workers feared British Steel's long term plans for profitability would mean the closure of some plants with the loss of thousands of jobs and the workers at Port Talbot and Llanwern in South Wales feared their plants would be the first to close.
After spreading to the privatised steel works, the strike lasted nearly 14 weeks, with the plants reopening after a pay package was agreed. Later that summer, however, 17,000 of the 24,000 South Wales steel workers were put on short time and by the end of 1980, British Steel had completed the closure of a number of outdated and loss-making plants, reducing its overall workforce from 268,500 employees to 130,000.
The drowning of rural Welsh valleys in order to provide English cities with water, often by compulsory purchase and without compensation, is a controversial subject which over the years has led to many protests.
On 2nd January 1982, The Welsh Army of Workers claimed responsibility for a bomb explosion at the Birmingham headquarters of the Severn Trent Water Authority. An hour later a second bomb was found and defused at the main complex of the International Development Corporation (IDC) in Stratford-upon-Avon. No one was hurt by the bombings, which were part of a campaign for local authorities from Birmingham and the West Midlands to pay for the water they receive from the Elan Valley reservoirs.
1880's - Lake Vyrnwy in Montgomeryshire was the first reservoir in Wales and at the time, it was the biggest man-made lake in the world. It was built to supply water to Liverpool and Merseyside and involved flooding the head of the Vyrnwy valley and submerging the small village of Llanwddyn.
1890s - The City of Birmingham Corporation bought 180km² of land in the Elan and Claerwen valleys in Powys, as there was an increasing demand for water in Birmingham for public health reasons and for industry.
1904 - The Elan Valley reservoir was opened to supply water to the City of Birmingham. The three dams opened there were - Craig Goch, Pen y Garreg and Caban Coch, with a surface area of 500 acres.
1907 - Llyn Alwen near Betws y Coed was constructed by the Wirral Water Board.to supply 9 million tons of water per day to Birkenhead.
1923 - Welsh MP's prevented the Corporation of Warrington drowning the Ceiriog valley near Wrexham.
1952 - Claerwen reservoir and dam in Elan Valley was opened and the area was leased by the Midlands for 999 years for a sum of 5 pence a year. It provides 75 tonnes of water per day.
1965 - Consruction of the Llyn Celyn reservoir in Gwynedd involved the drowning of the village of Capel Celyn, to supply water to Liverpool
1967 - Llyn Clywedog near Llanidloes was built to supply water to Birmingham and the English Midlands, following an Act of Parliament ordering its creation, despite strong local opposition.
Born on this day 1752 in Llandyfrydog, Anglesey.
Nicholas Owen - clergyman and antiquary who wrote on various topics from Welsh history, including the claim that it was Prince Madoc who first discovered America.
Owen was appointed perpetual curate of the now ruined St Michael's Church, Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog in Anglesey in 1790.
Traditionally in the Western Church, the First Day of Christmas is Christmas Day, therefore, 2nd January is the Ninth Day of Christmas.
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me - Nine Ladies Dancing.
Dancing has always been popular in Wales. In the 16th century, the twmpath was an 0pportunity for the community to meet and dance in the open air to music provided by a musician sat on the tmwpath (a tump of raised ground). There was also step or clog dancing, which included stepping and displays of skill such as high leaps and the dancers putting out a candle flame with their feet.
However, when Nonconformity became dominant in the 1730s, dancing was discouraged as a more conservative way of life became expected by the ministers. This resulted in folk dancing almost vanishing in Wales by the 20th century.
The decline of traditional Welsh dancing was reversed in the 1930's when Lois Blake, an Englishwoman who had moved to Denbighshire, took it on herself to reintroduce the historic dance steps and music, such as Lord of Caernarvon's Jig of 1652, the Llangadfan set of 1790 and the Llanover Reel, popular at Llanover Court until the late 19th century.
Then in 1949, the Welsh Folk Dancing Society was established, which along the introduction of folk dancing into the National Eisteddfod programme has ensured an optimism for the continuation of Welsh folk dancing.
