The Reverend John Jenkins (Ifor Ceri) parson of Ceri, Montgomeryshire is regarded as the founder of the provincial eisteddfod.

On 8th and 9th July 1819, an eisteddfod was held at the Ivy Bush inn, Carmarthen.  It was organised by Jenkins and Thomas Burgess, Bishop of St David's, intending  "to make an attempt to rekindle the bardic skill and ingenuity of the principality ... by holding eisteddfodau in different places in the four provinces".  It is seen by many as the fore-runner of the modern eisteddfod.

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The first ever cricket test match played in Wales.

The match took place at the SWALEC stadium in Cardiff on 8 July 2009. England elected to bat first, having won the toss, with Andrew Strauss having the honour of scoring the first ever test runs at this venue. Ben Hilfenhaus took the first wicket. The match was eventually drawn.

The SWALEC Stadium has hosted home matches for Glamorgan County Cricket Club since 24 May 1967 after the club moved from Cardiff Arms Park. A lease of 125 years was granted in 1995, with the previous leaseholders, Cardiff Athletic Club, moving to the Diamond Ground in Whitchurch. 

Neil Jenkins was born on 8th July 1971 in Church Village near Pontypridd. 

Neil is a former Welsh rugby union internationaland was one of the Wales coaches accompanying the latest British Lions tour of Australia. He played full back, fly- half or centre- half for Celtic Warriors, Pontypridd, Cardiff, Wales and the British and Irish Lions.

Jenkins is one of Wales' highest ever points scorer and is among the highest on the List of leading Rugby union Test point scorers. He was the first player ever to reach a total score of 1,000 points in international rugby matches.

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On 8th July 2007 at Cefn Coch in Mid Wales, more than 150 protestors, led by naturalist David Bellamy, registered their disapproval of the proposed construction of a wind farm in the area. 

The ongoing debate about wind farming has divided opinion throughout Wales.  Pro wind energy supporters stress the contribution that carbon dioxide emissions make to climate change, and deplore the damage caused by our reliance in the UK on large centralised power plants fuelled by natural gas, coal and nuclear energy.  They claim that up to 2000 jobs could be created by harnessing wind energy, with £2bn injected into the Welsh economy.  Anti-wind farm groups in Wales object on the grounds of potential damage to the immediate environment - noise pollution, the disturbance of wildlife habitations, the negative impact on tourism and on the aesthetic appearance of the landscape.

Eve Myles (born 8 July 1978 in Ystradgynlais in the Swansea Valley) is an award-winning Welsh actress.

Her best known role is as Gwen Cooper in the Doctor Who inspired drama Torchwood. She also played Ceri Owen in the BBC Wales drama Belonging and was Lady Helen of Mora in the BBC fantasy series Merlin. She starred in the TV drama Frankie, and more recently in the popular television drama series Broadchurch.

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On 8th July 1557, a bequest in the will of Geoffrey Glyn resulted in the establishment of Ysgol Friars (Friars School), Bangor, which is among the oldest secondary schools in Wales. Geoffrey Glyn was originally from Anglesey and had enjoyed a successful career in Law in London. In 1538 , he acquired the grounds and building of the 13th-century friary belonging to the  Dominican Order following the Dissolution of the Monasteries.The school was inaugurated and formally recognised in 1561 by Elizabeth I. It was originally  known as 'The free grammar school of Geoffrey Glyn, Doctor of Laws',  but because of its association  with the Dominican Black Friars, the school was later renamed as "Friars School". The school was financed by the legacies  left by Geoffrey Glyn and other benefactors. It existed within the boundaries of the old friary, near the banks of the River Adda for more than two hundred years.

The school was transferred to a different location, further from the river, in 1789 and was then moved in 1900 to  Ffriddoedd Road. In 1971, in a drastic education authority reorganisation, three schools were amalgamated: Friars School, Bangor County School for Girls and Deiniol School. These combined to form a new comprehensive school, under the Friars name, but on three different sites. The entire three-part comprehensive  school was relocated to a new permanent location, Eithinog, in 1999. 

In July 1795, Ezekiel Hughes and his cousin Edward Bebb left Llanbrynmair on foot, bound for Philadelphia.  It is believed that they were the first Welshmen to settle in Ohio.  

For over two hundred years, Ezekiel's family had lived on a large farm leased from Sir Watkin Williams Wynne. When his brother, inherited all the real estate, and continued to live on the farm, Ezekiel, who had received a good education in Shrewsbury and been apprenticed to a clockmaker and jeweller in Machynlleth, decided to visit America, with a view of purchasing a large tract of land, and making it his home.  With his cousin Edward Bebb, he gathered together a group of like minded people and in July 1795 they left Llanbrynmair on foot headed for Bristol, from where they would set sail. 

The journey began with the men having to avoid a Press Gang in Carmarthen before continuing to Bristol and when their families followed later, they sailed on the Maria on6 August 1795.  After a tedious and tempestuous voyage of thirteen weeks, they arrived in Philadelphia harbour on Sunday, 25th October.  Ezekiel and Edward decided to stay in Philadelphia over winter and headed west in the spring.  Within three months they had arrived in the unbroken wilds of the Miami Valley near Cincinnati (pictured) where they subsisted by hunting and fishing and building a cabin, clearing the land and growing potatoes, turnip and corn.

When the Government started to sell land in west Ohio in 1801, Ezekiel bought two parcels of fertile land not far from Paddy's Run in Whitewater Township.   Ezekiel returned to Wales in 1802, publicising the news that there was plentiful fertile land in the United States. He parcelled much of the good acreage  he had purchased into farmsteads and small holdings and leased them on very reasonable terms.  He was highly respected  by his tenants for his generosity, his wisdom and his fairness. He protected the interests of his compatriots from Wales who had followed him to America. He did his best to find work for them and even lent them money in order to buy land or livestock and tools.

Ezekiel Hughes won the respect of the people of Ohio, to the extent that in 1805, he was appointed to be responsible for the design of a new highway running between the river Miami to the town of Hamilton.  The following year, he was made a magistrate and was one of the founders of the Congregational Church in Paddy's Run. Ezekiel Hughes died on 2 September 1849. 

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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Glyndwr takes Carmarthen on 6th July 1403.

Owain Glyndwr, since being proclaimed Prince of Wales by his followers, had been a thorn in the flesh of Henry IV of England.  However, until 1403 Owain's success had been confined to North Wales, where, along with his Tudur cousins, he had captured or destroyed several Anglo-Norman strongholds such as Ruthin, Conwy and Welshpool.  Owain had thwarted Henry's counter-attacks, captured his son's baggage train and in 1401 had achieved a major victory at the battle of Mynydd Hyddgen. 

During 1402, Glyndwr's forces had gone from strength to strength, capturing and ransoming his arch-rival Reginald de Grey in April and defeating and capturing Edmund Mortimer at the battle of Pilleth on Bryn Glas hill near Presteigne in June. This represented a significant advance into Mid Wales.  An alliance with the Mortimer family, sealed by marriage to Owain's daughter, posed an increased threat to Henry IV's power.  However, it was in July 1403 that Owain Glyndwr truly swept to power throughout Wales. His advance through his mother's homeland of Deheubarth, down the Tywi Valley secured the strongholds of Dryslwyn, Newcastle Emlyn and on 6th July, following a short siege, Carmarthen.  With his army now 8000 strong, and with hundreds of Welsh archers and experienced men-at-arms defecting from Henry's army to swell Glyndwr's ranks, this could be said to represent the almost total collapse of English rule in Wales at that time. 

Wales welcomes the World to the Llangollen Musical Eisteddfod.

The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a music festival which takes place every year during the second week of July in Llangollen, North Wales.

Performers from different countries around the world participate in high quality competitions which are followed in the evening by concerts, where the competition winners and most enchanting competitors perform on the Eisteddfod stage alongside professional artists.  Approximately five thousand instrumentalists, dancers and singers from many different  countries perform to audiences numbering over 50,000 during the week-long event. World renowned performers at Llangollen have included in the past Luciano Pavarotti (who competed for the first time in 1955 along with his father and a local choir from their home in Modena, Italy). Julian Lloyd Webber has graced the Llangollen stage, as has Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

The Gala Concert on the final Sunday has featured Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins, Bryn Terfel, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and James Galway.

Glamorgan CCC was formed on 6 July 1888 at a meeting in the Angel Hotel, Cardiff.

Cricket was probably first played in Wales by the end of the 17th century. The earliest known occurrence of the game of cricket in the county of Glamorgan is found in a reference to a match at Swansea in 1780.

The club competed in the Minor Counties Championship for many years and then applied for first-class status after the First World War, playing its inaugural first-class match  against Sussex CCC at Cardiff Arms Park on 18, 19 & 20 May 1921, a match that Glamorgan won.

*  Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county clubs and the only Welsh one, playing cricket in England and Wales.

*  Glamorgan CCC have won the English County Championship competition 3 times;  in 1948, 1969 and 1997.

*  Glamorgan have also beaten all of the major Test playing nations.

*  The club is based in Cardiff and plays most of its home games at the SWALEC Stadium in Sophia Gardens, however, matches are occasionally played at Swansea, Cresselly and Colwyn Bay.

*  Glamorgan's all-time top run scorer is Alan Jones with 34,056 runs.

*  Glamorgan's all-time top wicket taker is Don Sheppard with 2,174 wickets.

Born this day 1736 in Hunterdon County, New Jersey (All four of his grandparents were Welsh immigrants who lived in Pennsylvania).  Picture shows the formal surrender of  General Burgoyne to General Gates, Daniel Morgan dressed in white stands proudly in the foreground.

Daniel Morgan  - American soldier, who distinguished himself in major American Revolutionary War battles.

Daniel Morgan was a wild character; lecherous, a drunkard, fond of women and fighting, and allegedly a horse thief. However, it is possible that without him, the American Revolution would not have succeeded. He was brave in battle and was adept at leading untrained troops. he was tactically cunning and calm under fire.
Morgan argued with his father and left home at a young age, never to return. He moved to the wilds of Northwestern Virginia, where despite his disrepute, he became well known for his loyalty, toughness and fearlessness in defending the 'wild frontier'.

Morgan was a big, powerful man, with unstinting courage and stamina. His prowess in frontier tactics such as marksmanship and guerrilla-style skirmishes made him a valuable asset in the conflict between British and American forces.

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On 6 July 1843 the Bolgoed tollgate on the outskirts of Pontarddulais was attacked and destroyed by a group of some 200 men, during the final stages of the Rebecca Riots

The Rebecca riots took place between 1839 and 1843, in the rural parts of west Wales, mostly in Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire, and Carmarthenshire, they were a series of protests made mostly by tenant farmers against the payment of tolls to use the roads, but many other 'Rebecca' incidents were about general economic conditions. During the riots, men disguised as women attacked the tollgates. They called themselves 'Rebecca and her daughters', most likely referring to a passage in the Bible where Rebecca talks of the need to 'possess the gates of those who hate them'

The 1830's, the period leading up to riots were turbulent times. The population of the rural areas of Wales had doubled in the century before the riots and it was hard for them all to gain a livelihood. The common lands which were once available for the use of all the people in a village were now enclosed and had become the property of the big estates, they were leased out to farmers for rents out of proportion to what they could earn from their produce. On top of this farmers also had to pay tithes (a tenth of all their produce each year) to the church, to support the local church (even though most people in Wales were non -conformist). As a result of this, it was inevitable that farm labourers wages were low and if you did not have enough money to support yourself you were split from your family and put into one of the new workhouses, where conditions were worse than for the worst paid labourer outside. The last straw was the toll gate system, roads were especially bad in Wales and to remedy this, the government established turnpike trusts, which were made up of trustees (usually local businessmen and landowners) who were responsible for maintaining the roads, to fund this they were allowed to erect toll gates and collect charges from road users. Farmers were especially hard-hit by this as they used the roads to transport produce and lime to improve the soil.

Then in 1842-3, economic conditions got even worse and the outbreaks swept through the three counties. Soon not a single toll gate was standing. The government sent in troops to try to prevent the outbreaks but they were ineffective and were often sent on wild goose chases.  In the end, the government had to modify the toll gate system and amend the poor law and gradually economic conditions improved. 

Today is the feast day of Saint Erfyl.

Saint Erfyl c. 500 - was a female Welsh virgin who founded a church at Llanerfyl in Powys. 

There is an unusual inscribed stone at Llanerfyl Church, which seems to be a sub-Roman memorial stone dating from the 5th or 6th century. The inscription, in horizontal Roman capitals,  commemorates the 13 year old daughter of Paterninus, Rustica.

Born on this day 1913 in Cwm Rhondda, Glamorgan

"I was born in 1913, the following year was even worse"

Gwyn Thomas   was one of the foremost Welsh writers of the 20th century. He wrote novels and short stories, plays for radio and stage, and was also a scriptwriter and presenter for television, as well as a much-loved columnist in Punch. He has been called 'the true voice of the English-speaking valleys'.  Once described as 'the greatest talker in the world' he was the veteran entertainer of The Brains Trust and Tonight and is also remembered for his empathetic commentary in a moving programme on the Aberfan disaster.

A former schoolmaster turned novelist turned programme maker, Thomas's  included among his friends Richard Burton, Stanley Baker, Sam Wannamaker and Donald Houston. Yet beyond the world of celebrity, he was a writer passionately committed to a humane socialism, most of whose work, novels, stories, plays, are set in or informed by his native Rhondda valley. Writing about the appalling poverty he and his fellow south Walians suffered during his early years, Thomas was inspired by his community and chose not bitter despair, but humour in the face of adversity.

The Battle of Aqaba was fought on 6th July 1917 for possession of  the Jordanian port of Aqaba. Under the leadership of Auda ibu Tayi and advised by T.E Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia"), the advancing forces of the Arab Revolt were victorious over the Turkish defenders.

The capture of Aqaba helped to re-establish vital supply lines between Egypt and the Arab and British forces stationed further north in Jordan and Greater Palestine.  More importantly, control of Aqaba reduced  the threat of a Turkish offensive onto the strategically important Suez Canal.  Aqaba was subsequently transferred to the British protectorate of Transjordan in 1925. 

The National Health Service was created on July 5th 1948, an embodiment of the ideal that quality healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth or social status.

On the day that Aneurin Bevan, as Health Secretary, opened Park Hospital in Manchester it was the fulfilment of an enormously inspirational dream  to bring good healthcare to every Individual in the UK. For the first time in British history, the provision of doctors, nurses dentists, pharmacists, opticians and hospitals was brought under the auspices of a single organisation that was ' free for all at the point of delivery.'

The underlying philosophy was clear: the health service was intended to be freely available to everyone. It was to be financed in its entirety  from public taxation, which meant that everyone contributed to it directly from their salary and according to their means.  It was Aneurin Bevan's most famous achievement as Minister of Health , it was he who initiated it's establishment and he tendered his resignation when a subsequent government proposed to charge patients for eyeglasses and dentures. 

Today is the feast day of Saint Cenydd

Born in 525, Saint Cenydd  was a prince of Breton origin, born allegedly from an incestuous union,  at Lougher on the Gower Peninsula near the modern city of Swansea.

He was born with a physical disability, and as was customary at the time, was cast into the river on the orders of his father, Deroch. According to legend, he was baptised by a local priest before being placed in a willow basket and set adrift in the River Lliw, a stream which joins Afon Llwchwr ( Lougher River) before reaching the open sea. The story is that a sudden storm swept the makeshift cradle towards the Worm's Head promontory, Ynys Weryn, where the waves carried it onto a beach, where a flock of seagulls miraculously carried the child to a place of safety where they used their breast feathers to make a warm nest for him. The seagulls used their wings to protect the baby from the harsh elements until he was eventually discovered and adopted by a childless fisherman and his wife.

In adult life Cenydd chose to be a hermit, with only a dishonest servant as his companion whose unreliability was evident when he stole a spear from one of a party of brigands who had been offered hospitality by Cenydd. The servant escaped to the rocky outcrops around St Davids, where he lived like an animal, completely covered in bodily hair. For seven years Cenydd  prayed for his servant's well-being, and the man eventually returned in penitent humility to his master. It is claimed that in 545 Saint David cured Cenydd of his disability while on a journey to the Synod of Brefi but Cenydd chose to remain as God had intended him and begged David to restore his disability.

Cenydd's feast day is celebrated on 5th July (colloquially referred to as his 'Mapsant day', from the Welsh words 'sant' - holy, and 'mab' - son) The day was traditionally noted by displaying an effigy of a bird from a pole on the church tower. This was intended to represent the seagulls from the legend who rescued the infant Cenydd from the waves. A dish similar to bread and butter pudding called 'whitepot', made from dried fruit, milk, sugar and flour was also consumed  to mark the occasion.

Born this day 1755 in  the "Shoulder of Mutton" public-house (now called the Sarah Siddons), Brecon.

Sarah Siddons - best-known tragic actress of the 18th century.

Sarah was the eldest of 12 siblings born to Roger and Sarah Kemble, a couple who were actor-managers to a popular company of traveling players. She received a surprisingly broad education as a result of her mother's insistence on her attending school in the towns visited by the company.  In her teens, she fell in love with and married, despite the initial disapproval of her parents, William Siddons, who was an actor in her father's troupe.  

By 1774 she was assuming leading acting roles, and in 1777, she joined the company on a provincial acting tour. her reputation as an accomplished actress grew over the next six years, especially in the provincial capitals such as York and Bath. When she made her first appearance on the London stage at Drury Lane in 1782 she was hailed as a 'sensation'. This sparkling debut was the beginning of a twenty year career in which she was recognised as the 'queen of Drury Lane'. Her status as a contemporary celebrity has been called both"mythical" and "monumental," and by 1785, Sarah Siddons reputation was considered iconic.

She was most renowned for her presentation of Lady Macbeth,  a role which ideally suited her range of talent. She was, apparently, a tall and very striking beauty, with extraordinarily expressive eyes and a dignified demeanour, which enhanced and enriched her portrayal of tragic female characters, particularly Lady Macbeth.

Many anecdotes testify to the power she had over her audiences. Once, while playing Aphasia in Tamburlaine, in the scene where she sees her lover strangled in front of her, her cries of agony as she fell lifeless on  the stage were so convincing that the audience believed she was actually  dead, and it took the intervention  of the theatre manager to persuade them that her collapse was make-believe!  During another performance, a member of the audience became so involved with the acting that he experienced breathing difficulties and went into paroxysms.

In 1802 she left Drury Lane and made occasional appearances at Covent Garden, where on 29 June 1812, that she gave her final public performance, aptly in her famous role of Lady Macbeth. At the end of the 'sleepwalking' scene, the applause from the audience was so intense and prolonged that the play could not continue. When the curtain eventually reopened it was to Sarah Siddons in her own clothes, no longer in the costume of her stage character. She delivered a highly emotional speech of farewell which lasted for eight minutes before the curtain closed on her for the final time.

Born this day 1934 in Merthyr Tydfil.

Philip Madoc - Actor.

Perhaps his most famous role was as the title character in the BBC Wales drama "The Life and Times of David Lloyd George". However, he had already achieved public acclaim in two television serials, firstly in 1969 as SS Officer Lutzig in the popular WW2 serial "Manhunt", and again in 1971 taking the role of the brutal Huron warrior Magua in a televised series of "The Last of the Mohicans". His acting style in both roles featured an understated, restrained sense of menace which was much more effective  than obvious aggression.

He revisited the character of Lutzig later in his career in an episode of the popular television comedy series Dad's Army, "The Deadly Attachment", where Madoc played a U-boat Captain held prisoner by the  Home Guard's Walmington-on-Sea platoon. His performance, alongside seasoned and experienced comedy actors, was considered masterly.

On 5th July 1952, six miners were killed in a mining accident at Point of Ayr colliery in Flintshire. 
 
Point of Ayr ( Y Parlwr Du) is the northernmost point of mainland Wales, ands sits on the estuary of the river Dee. There had been a colliery at Point of Ayr for many years, situated at the northern edge of the Flintshire Coalfield, and it was to become  one of the last deep mines operating in Wales.

The initial exploratory mining took place in 1865, under the direction of Lord Mostyn, owner of the Mostyn Colliery which was several miles away. The results were promising and the Prestatyn Coal Company was consequently established to find a viable seam Unfortunately the project was abandoned before a rich enough seam was found. Less than ten years later, further investigative borings  by a different company, the Western Mostyn Colliery again proved unviable, and it was not until 1890 that a third company, the Point of Ayr Colliery Company struck a viable seam.

Coal  was brought to the surface by a team of pit ponies at this time, and soon a second shaft was sunk. By 1896, 356 men were employed here, producing coal for both industrial and domestic purposes.  According to the Inspector of Mines records, in 1896 the pit employed 356 men producing coal for domestic and industrial uses. After the nationalisation of the coal industry in 1947, the mine was operated  by the National Coal Board, which sunk a third shaft which meant that the underground workings extended into the Irish Sea. By 1953, 738 men were employed here, producing 213,000 tons of coal each year. Point of Ayr colliery eventually closed on 23 August 1996

The Declaration of Independence is a 'statement' adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states and no longer a part of the British Empire.

According to the Welsh Society of Philadelphia, 16 of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence were of Welsh descent:

George Clymer, Stephen Hopkins, Robert Morris, William Floyd, Francis Hopkinson, John Morton, Button Gwinnett, Thomas Jefferson, John Penn, George Read, John Hewes, Francis Lewis, James Smith, Williams Hooper, Lewis Morris, and William Williams.

This represents the largest ethnic group of signatories on the original document. Thomas Jeffersons' family originated from Snowdonia and were fluent Welsh speakers.

Born on this day 1790 in Crickhowell.

Colonel Sir George Everest  - The man that Mount Everest is named after.

In 1818, Sir George was commissioned  into the Royal Artillery. At that time known simply as Lt. Everest, he was appointed as assistant to Colonel William Lambton, who had inaugurated the Great Trigonometrical Survey of the sub-continent in 1806. When Lambton died in 1823,  Everest replaced him as superintendent of the survey and was responsible for its completion.  In recognition of this monumental achievement he was  appointed Surveyor General of India  in 1830, and in 1865, the Royal Geographical Society named Mount Everest  in his honour.

Today is the Feast day of Saint Peblig.

Peblig ( born c.363 ) or Publicus in Latin,  was the third son of Magnus Maximus ( Western Roman Emperor from 383 to 388) and his second wife Saint Elen Luyddog (Helen of the Hosts). Lacking in political ambition, he relinquished his right of succession which enabled his brother Dionotus II to later become the Roman ruler of Britain. Instead, he entered the ministry, establishing the church of Llanbeblig just outside the town of Caernarfon. He served there as abbot until his death. He is said,  along with his mother and brother Cystennin, to have introduced into Wales the Celtic form of monasticism established originally in Gaul.

Llanbeblig Church (pictured) is associated with the "The Llanbeblig Book of Hours" which probably dates from the period 1390-1400 and contains the illustration of Magnus Maximus (pictured).

Books of Hours were very popular texts during the Middle Ages in Western Europe. Many thousand of these were created for religiously devoted lay people, who used them to enhance their programme of private  prayer and daily devotion to God.  The Books of Hours  were intended to echo the liturgy of the contemporary Church, in which  the day was divided into eight distinct  sections or 'hours'.  There were specific prayers  for each of these designated hours, with an elaborate calendar of feast days and religious celebrations. Many of the pages in these treasured volumes  were painstakingly and richly illuminated with colourful  images of Christ,  the Saints and the Virgin Mary.

Born this day 1872 in Plymouth Notch, Winsor County, Vermont (of Welsh descent)

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr . - 30th President of the United States ( pictured being made a Sioux Chief by Henry Standing Bear)

A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge made an increasingly positive impression in Massachusetts state politics; so successfully that he eventually became governor of that state.  He was elected as the 29th Vice President in 1920 and succeeded to the Presidency of the United States following the unexpected death in 1923 of Warren G. Harding.  He was elected in his own right in 1924, and went on to gain  a reputation as a small-government conservative, and also as a man of very few words.

Coolidge succeeded in  rebuilding public confidence in the White House following the scandals of his predecessor's administration and ended his term of office enjoying significant popularity.

On 4th July 1862, noted soprano Sarah Edith Wynne - Eos Cymru (The Nightingale of Wales) made her London début.

She was probably the first Welsh woman to become and internationally-renowned singer and her tours outside Wales and helped build the country's reputation as a "land of song". 

Wynne had showed a special talent as a singer when a child — she was only 9 when she joined the Holywell choral society.  When she was 12 she went on a concert tour to various parts of Wales and went to Liverpool at 14 to receive lessons in music, staying there five years.  Her first appearance in London as a soprano was in June 1862, where she then settled and was soon became one of the best vocalists in the country. She also had a successful American tour in 1871.

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Born this day 1962 in Syracuse, NewYork.

Tom Cruise  (Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ) - Star of many Hollywood blockbusters, including Top Gun, The Last Samurai, A Few Good Men and Rain Man, has made Cruise, Hollywood's highest paid actor.  His Welsh connections were revealed to him on an American TV show which investigates the family trees of the rich and famous.  A stunned Cruise heard that his great-great grandfather had emigrated from Flint in north Wales in 1850 and that his middle name Mapother had come from many generations of Welsh people with the same name.

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Robert of Rhuddlan - the hated Norman Lord of much of north-east Wales was killed by a volley of Welsh  arrows on this day 1093.   The raiders then sailed off with his head attached to the mast of one of their vessels.

Twthill castle was erected by Robert of Rhuddlan in 1073 at the command of  William the Conqueror.  It remained in use for two hundred years until Rhuddlan Castle was built, on adjacent territory, on the orders of Edward I.

Robert was the cousin of Hugh d'Avranches one of the first Norman Marcher Lords, who was appointed Earl of Chester in 1070 by William the Conquerer after The Norman Invasion of 1066 

1072 .  Robert was appointed Hugh's "commander of troops" and immediately began hostilities with the Welsh, capturing land in the cantref of Tegeigl (North East Wales), where he built a Motte and Bailey castle at Twthill near Rhuddlan to consolidate his advances into the north of Wales.

1075 .  Robert assisted Gruffudd ap Cynan in his attempt to recover the throne of Gwynedd from Trahaern ap Caradog.  Gruffydd was eventually forced to flee to Ireland where he sought temporary refuge. Robert took  advantage of the local conflict to seize the cantrefs of Rhos and Rhufoniog and to build another castle at Deganwy.  He, therefore, ruled most of northern Wales to the east of the River Conwy.

1081 .  Trahaearn  was killed in the Battle of Mynydd Carn by the now returned Gruffydd ap Cynan, who claimed the throne of Gwynedd, but shortly thereafter he was captured by Robert and imprisoned by Earl Hugh in his castle at Chester.  Robert claimed Gruffydd's lands, and went on to build further castles at Bangor, Caernarfon and Aberlleiniog.

1087 .   On William the Conquerer's death, war broke out between his sons. Robert gave his support to Robert Curthose, the elder son,  but they were eventually forced to surrender to the forces of  William Rufus.

1093 .  Robert's career was brought to a sudden and not unwelcome end at the beginning of the great Welsh revolt. He was indulging in a midday nap in his castle at Deganwy when a message  was brought to him that Welsh raiders had landed in three ships underneath the Great Orme and were in the process of pillaging his lands. Some sources claim that these audacious  raiders were led by Gruffydd ap Cynan, who had managed to escape from captivity in Chester. The raiders had landed their ships and were loading their plunder. Robert sent urgent dispatches  to muster his troops and made great haste  to the Great Orme, where he was dismayed to discover that the rising tide was allowing the Welsh raiders to float their vessels and make off with the loot before Robert's troops could reach them. Furious, Robert rushed down the slopes to attack them, supported only by his armour-bearer. He was killed by a volley of Welsh javelins, and the raiders made their escape with Robert's head displayed triumphantly on the mast of one of their vessels.

1094 .  The Welsh revolt led by Gruffydd ap Cynan resulted in the loss of most of Robert's former territory.

Died on this day 1749.

William Jones (1675 – 3 July 1749)  - was born in Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd on the Island of Anglesey(Ynys Môn). Jones became a mathematician who is most remembered for the introduction of the symbol π  to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. He was a contemporary and close friend of both Sir Issac Newton and Sir Edmund Hally.  He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in November 1711 and was later to become its Vice-President.

Born this day 1958 in Maesteg.

Siân Lloyd  - Best known as an ITV Weather Forecaster.

Sian is the daughter of two teachers and attended Ystalyfera Bilingual School, before graduating with first class honours from University College, Cardiff. She then gained a meteorology distinction from the Met Office College and won the Television and radio Industries Club  (TRIC) award for the best TV weather presenter in 2005 and 2007.

Proud of being Welsh, she set up a Welsh networking group, SWS (meaning "kiss", and standing for "Social, Welsh and Sexy") in partnership with entertainer Stifyn Parri in the Groucho Club in London. Bryn Terfel and Sian Phillips are now patrons.

 In 2007, Lloyd won the UK Rear of the Year competition, making her the oldest woman to date to win the title. 

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Today is the feast day of Saint Gurthiern.

Saint Gurthiern (c. 500) - is said to have been a Welsh prince who became a hermit in Brittany and founded the abbey at Kemperle.  Legend says that insects once threatened to destroy the region's crops, so Gunthiern blessed some water and had it sprinkled over the fields. The insects fled, and the crops were saved. 

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In what has become an annual event, The Wales Swim takes place in Tenby.

Up to 2000 competitors take to the water at Tenby's North Beach in a mixed gender race over either a 1.2 or a 2.4-mile course depending on ability. The event draws many spectators, both local and tourist alike. 

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Today is the feast day of  Saint Euddogwy. 

Saint Euddogwy (also referred to as Oudoceus)  Died c.700 -  Euddogwy came to Wales as a young man and trained in theology at Llandeilo Abbey, eventually becoming ‘Bishop of Teilo’, the diocese which was based in Llandeilo Fawr, before travelling to Canterbury for his official consecration.  He was, in all probability, the founder of the monastery at Llandaff.  A contemporary legend relates that once when he wished to remove certain relics of St. Teilo and his disciples from Llandeilo to Llandaff, the people of Llandeilo were antagonised and ambushed Euddogwy and his entourage  in a remote pass at Penallt.  Euddogwy’s prayers miraculously caused the attackers to become temporarily  blind and unable to move. Another story relates that, once, when he was thirsty, Euddogwy asked some nearby women, who were busy preparing butter, for a drink of water. They laughed at him, claiming to have no cup or container in which he could collect the water. The saint picked up some of their butter and moulded it into the shape of a bell. As he drank, the butter miraculously turned to gold.

The Book of Llandaff records a number of grants of land to Euddogwy by various princes of South Wales, including King Cadwgon ap Cathen of Dyfed, King Awst of Brycheiniog and King Meurig ap Tewdrig of Glywysing & Gwent. It was during Euddogwy’s time that  the region between the Wye, the Dore, and the Worm (Herefordshire) was seized by Mercia,  an event generally supposed to have been made under King Penda of Mercia in 649.  Euddogwy resigned as Bishop to retreat to Llaneinion, near Tintern, where he died in solitude.

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On 2nd July 1940, 800 people were drowned when the Arandora Star was torpedoed off the Irish coast by a German U-Boat.   Among the 1200 internees aboard, being deported to Canada, were over 100 Welsh-Italians. These were predominantly cafe owners and small businessmen who had settled in Wales decades earlier. 

In early June 1940, immediately Italy entered the Second World War, all Italian males in Britain who held a passport  and were aged between 18 and 70 years were arrested and forced to leave their homes or workplaces with immediate effect. They were to be indefinitely interned under orders from the British War Cabinet.  Subsequent reports from the Red Cross and other organisations reveal that these internees were badly treated by the British authorities. They were imprisoned in inhumane surroundings, without  access to sufficient food, without  adequate sanitation or medical care. more than 700 Italian internees were transported to Liverpool, where they were herded aboard the former cruise liner, the Arandora Star, along with some 450 German and Austrian internees and Prisoners of War who were all to be shipped to  Newfoundland in Canada. 

The first Welsh national memorial to the victims of the Arandora Star debacle was unveiled at a ceremony in Cardiff’s Metropolitan Cathedral of St David in Charles Street, Cardiff on 2nd July 2010. The memorial a collaboration between the Welsh-Italian artist, Susanna Ciccotti, from Swansea and the world-renowned  stone carver from Ammanford, Ieuan Rees.

Born this day 1893 in Penarth. 

Ralph Hancock , who was widely known as  'Landscape Gardener to HRH Princess Victoria of England'

Ralph's first means of employment was as a Marine and General Insurance Broker in Cardiff, but in in 1926, he undertook a complete change of direction and became a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society.  He moved to Surrey with his family, where he embarked on the first of his  garden projects, which involved the design and construction of a rock and water garden for Princess Victoria at her estate 'Coppins', in Iver, Buckinghamshire.

Then in 1931 he  travelled to New York,  to promote his work in the United States and between 1933 and 1935 he was presented with the ambitious task of creating the “Gardens of the Nations” roof gardens at the Rockefeller Centre in New York.  In doing so, he echoed the styles of gardens from Holland, France, Italy, and England, where each garden had a hostess dressed in appropriately relevant costume. Via elevator and block and tackle he managed to haul 3,000 tons of earth, 500 tons of bricks, 20,000 bulbs, 100 tons of natural stone, and 2,000 trees and shrubs up the side of the eleven floors of the building. The garden was nourished by 96,000 gallons of water which was lifted by an electric pump.

On 2nd July 2013, Wales became the first country in the United Kingdom to bring into law an opt-out organ donation system. 

Previously, people across the UK had to a voluntary scheme and carry a card if they wish to donate organs. People in Wales will now be presumed to have agreed for their organs to be donated after death unless they have opted out of the scheme. 

First Minister Carwyn Jones said: "The Human Transplantation (Wales) Act 2013 is arguably the most significant piece of legislation passed by the National Assembly for Wales since it acquired full lawmaking powers in 2011, with Roy Thomas of Kidney Wales Foundation adding "It gives hope to all those waiting for a transplant, not only those on the list but those who fear chronic organ failure and who may need a transplant”  

July 1866 saw the launch of Yr Australydd, a Welsh language Calvinistic Methodist newspaper, in Victoria (Australia), edited by William Meirion Evans and Theophilus Williams.

Yr Australydd was an Australian monthly newspaper in the Welsh language published in Victoria between 1866 and 1872. Its name translates as The Australian. Its intended readership were, obviously, Welsh Australians, but it was more specifically linked to the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist community. The newspaper's aim was also to encourage a sense of Welshness among its readers, by maintaining the language and promoting Welsh culture and literature.

The newspaper printed news from Wales and requested and printed literary contributions from readers, which included, poetry, short stories, as well as a serialised novel, entitled Cymro yn Awstralia (A Welshman in Australia, 1870). Publication ceased in 1872, for reasons which remain unclear and in 1874, it was replaced by Yr Ymwelydd, a similar newspaper edited by Rev. Evans.

The Treachery of the Blue Books.

On this day 1847, the infamous “Blue Books” a report on the state of education in Wales were presented to the Government

A public enquiry was carried out as a result of pressure from Welshman William Williams, MP for Coventry, who was concerned about the state of education in Wales.  The enquiry was carried out by three Englishmen, R.R.W Lingen, Jellynger. C. Symons and H. R. Vaughan Johnson, who met to discuss their findings at The Lion Hotel in Builth Wells.  Because none of them spoke Welsh, they relied on the information of witnesses, mostly Anglican clergymen at a time when Wales was mostly Nonconformist.

The report concluded;  

*  That schools in Wales were extremely inadequate.

*  That teachers should only speak English in areas where children only spoke Welsh.

*  Welsh speaking children had to rely on the Nonconformist Sunday Schools to acquire literacy.

*  That the Welsh were ignorant, lazy and immoral as a result of the use of Welsh and Nonconformity.

There was a furious reaction in Wales where they were referred to as “Brad Y Llyfrau Gleision” The Treachery of the Blue Books and they are thought to have been instrumental in the birth of the modern Welsh self-government movement.  However Saunders Lewis suggested that they were “the most important nineteenth century historical document we possess”  

Alun Lewis was born on 1st July 1915 in Cwmaman near Aberdare in the South Wales coalfield.  He was one of the best- known poets of The Second World War.

He read history at the University of Aberystwyth where he started writing poetry, before embarking on a career in teaching  at Lewis Boys' School, Pengam. In spite of his pacifist inclinations, he joined the army in 1940, suffering experiences which rekindled the depression he had suffered in his 20s, and inspired a fresh period of writing. In 1944, while on active duty against the Japanese, he died of a gunshot wound caused by his own hand weapon, although it was unclear. whether this was an accident or an intentional act of suicide

During his lifetime, Lewis published only one collection of poetry, entitled Raiders' Dawn, and one short story. These were followed by a further volume of poetry, and a collection of short stories, both published posthumously. There is no doubt that Lewis had he lived, would have become a significant voice in post-war literature in the English-speaking world.

Prince Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales took place at Caernarvon Castle on 1 July 1969  although he had been created Prince of Wales  on 26 July 1958.   Prince Charles spent ten weeks leading up to his Investiture learning about Welsh culture and language and during the ceremony he gave his replies in both English and Welsh.  The investiture was watched by millions on TV and attracted large and excited crowds in Caernarfon.  The Welsh borough of Swansea was granted city status to mark the occasion. 

However the ceremony aroused considerable hostility among nationalists who viewed it as being associated with the subjugation of  the Welsh people since the 13th century, when the last native Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was deposed by Edward l of England.

For action this day 1916 Group Captain Lionel Wilmot Brabazon Rees was awarded the Victoria Cross

The son of an army officer, Rees was born in Plas Llanwnda, Castle Street, Caernarfon in 1884 and attended Eastbourne College before entering the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. In 1912, he learned to fly at his own expense after which he was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps.  During World War I, in the first hours of the Somme Offensive, Rees was on patrol when he engaged the enemy in a series of attacks.   The valour of his actions earned him the Victoria Cross. Its citation reads:

"On 1st July 1916 at Double Crassieurs, France, Major Rees, whilst on flying duties, sighted what he thought was a bombing party of our machines returning home, but were, in fact, enemy aircraft. Major Rees was attacked by one of them, but after a short encounter it disappeared, damaged. The others then attacked him at long range, but he dispersed them, seriously damaging two of the machines. He chased two others but was wounded in the thigh, temporarily losing control of his aircraft. He righted it and closed with the enemy, using up all his ammunition, firing at very close range. He then returned home, landing his aircraft safely"

After the war, Rees was based in the Middle East with the RAF. He had a keen interest in archaeology, and while flying on the Cairo to Baghdad route, he took some of the earliest archaeological aerial photographs of sites in eastern Transjordan (now Jordan) and is considered a father of the archaeological studies of this area, as well as a pioneer of aerial archaeology.

On July 1st 1826, Telford's Conwy Suspension Bridge was opened.

It was one of the first road suspension bridges in the world, replacing the ferry at the same point and at the time, was the only crossing of the river, and was consequently the only way to access the ferry that leaves for Ireland.  The bridge is located close to Conwy Castle and therefore, Telford matched the bridge's supporting towers with the castle's turrets.

On 1st July 1941, 35 people were killed and 46 were injured when huge parachuted land mines fell on the Maindee area of Newport.   Alfred Searle, a local solicitor, and his housekeeper were among the fatalities  when his house 'Gaerwood' suffered a direct hit.

On July 1st 1780, Anthony Bacon acquired the lease of the Hirwaun ironworks.

The Ironworks  at Hirwaun near Aberdare was founded by John Mayberry in 1757, but its profit and renown began when the entrepreneur Anthony Bacon acquired government contracts to supply weapons and ammunition in 1780. The goods were initially transported to the port of Cardiff by mules and packhorses.   The Hirwaun Ironworks saw their peak of prosperity when in 1819, they were purchased by the industrialist William Crawshay of Cyfarthfa, who expanded the works. The region's mining industry also prospered through providing the necessary coke for the blast furnaces at the ironworks.

The village of Hirwaun thrived, and by 1830, nearly 900 men were employed at the Hirwaun works, and the first steam engine in the locality was constructed to serve the works.

However, following the depression of 1829 the ironworks declined and the Crawshay family closed the site in 1859.