Recently Rated:
Stats
5th January
Born on this day 1974 in Farnborough, Hampshire (of Welsh parents from Penygroes, Gwynedd)
Iwan Thomas - one of the world’s elite 400mtr runners, who won a silver medal in the 4x400m relay at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Over his career, Thomas also won European and Commonwealth titles. He retired in 2006, only to discover two years later that he was a world champion as well.
This came about because Antonio Pettigrew, a member of the USA’s gold medal winning team in the 1997 World Championships in Athens admitted in 2003 that he had taken illegal substances and, as a result, all of his performances between 1997 and 2003 were declared void by the IAAF. This meant that the British squad of Thomas, Roger Black, Mark Richardson, and fellow Welshman Jamie Baulch belatedly became world champions after an eleven year gap.
His 400m time of 44.36 set when taking the UK title in 1997 is still a British record.
Born on this day 1965 in Watford (Welsh grandmother)
Vinnie Jones - former Wales soccer international and captain.
As a player, Jones was renowned for his tough man image, being sent off 12 times and at three seconds into a match, holding the record the quickest recorded booking. Jones also took an uncompromising approach to his subsequent acting career, with his roles in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch"
Waldini (1894 - 5 January 1966) was the stage name of Wallace (Wally) Bishop, a musician, band leader and impresario born in Cardiff, whose career spanned 6 decades
Known also as "The Great Waldini" or "Mr Music", Waldini founded a concert party whilst serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps in Egypt, during World War One, after which he worked as a cinema musician. During the depression years of the 1930's, he formed a band of unemployed musicians, which he called Waldini and his Gypsy Band and they played every day at Roath Park, Cardiff.
During World War Two, the band was hired to entertain the troops and after the war, they worked at summer holiday resorts all over the UK, but especially at Happy Valley at the Great Orme, Llandudno. During his career, he also found time for talent spotting and in the early 1940s gave Peter Sellers one of his first jobs.
Traditionally in the Western Church, the First Day of Christmas is Christmas Day, therefore, 5th January is the Twelfth Day of Christmas.
On the Twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me - Twelve Drummers Drumming.
Welsh medieval tabor (tabwrdd) player - The tabor is a portable snare drum, suspended by a strap from the forearm. It is found in Medieval Europe from around 1300 and was often played in unison with a three-holed pipe flute in the "pipe and tabor" one man band configuration, as since the pipe has only three holes it can be played with one hand, leaving the other available to play the tabor. It was used for dancing, ceremonies and processions, folk customs and street entertainment.
