Recently Rated:
Stats
DR RICHARD PRICE
Born on this day 1723, in Tynton, Llangeinor, Glamorgan
Richard Price - described as one of the most influential intellectuals to have ever come from Wales.
Price was a moral and political philosopher, a nonconformist minister and a writer on issues of statistics and finance, being inducted into the Royal Society for both.
Dr Richard Price was progressive in his views on both religion and politics. He was a Presbyterian and an Arian, who championed religious toleration. He supported the French and American Revolutions and suggested that governments should rule by consent of the people, arguing for the creation of a British republic, votes for all adult males, women's rights and a basic welfare state. His death in 1791 was marked by a day of national mourning in France.
RON BERRY
Born this day 1920, in Blaencwm, Rhondda
Ron Berry, an author, who also wrote several plays for BBC television and he is regarded as one of the Wales' more significant post-war authors. He began writing later in life after attending Coleg Harlech after having had many jobs over his lifetime such as a miner, navvy, fitter, merchant navy seaman, swimming pool manager, boxer and footballer and this gave him a wide variety of life experiences from which to draw on. His books reflect the working class of the industrial valleys and although writing during a sometimes bleak period of Welsh history, he avoided falling into clichés of depressed miners and their families surviving everyday toil. Largely ignored during his lifetime, Berry's work has recently started to become more appreciated. '
MENINGITIS IN PONTYPRIDD
In February 1999, a severe outbreak of meningitis in the Pontypridd area resulted in three people dying.
A public health emergency was declared after public fears about the likelihood of infection, resulted in alarmed parents marching to demand blanket vaccinations. Meningitis is an acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, which is usually caused by infection with viruses or bacteria.
.
.
CYMRU RYDD
In February 1911, a Welsh Nationalist League was founded, based in Caernarfonshire, to campaign for Home Rule. Up to this point recognition of Wales had made considerable progress, with the most significant developments occurring in the fields of education and culture. However in the immediate years following World War I, although Wales gained some administrative devolution, the movement for Welsh "home rule" lost significant momentum.
THE "LAST INVASION OF BRITAIN"
Memorial stone at Carregwastad Point of the landing of the French on February 22nd 1797.
On 22nd February 1797, 1,400 members of the French Legion Noire of the French Revolutionary Army landed in Carregwasted bay near Fishguard and it remains the last time that Britain was invaded a foreign military force.
Irish revolutionary leader, Wolfe Tone had received support from France to help end British rule in Ireland. Part of the plan was to organise French invasions of Britain to divert and weaken the British forces, with the overall aim of sending a much larger force to Ireland to overthrow the British there. However bad weather and poor organisation resulted in only the invasion through Wales to target Bristol and the west of England, going ahead.
The invasion force was led by an Irish American colonel, William Tate and consisted of 1,400 men, nearly half of whom however were deserters and convicts. An initial attempt to land was unsuccessful due to the defensive cannons at Fishguard fort, so the fleet landed 3 miles away in the bay at Carregwasted under the cover of darkness. They moved inland and established their headquarters at a nearby farmhouse, but the convicts and pressed men deserted, got drunk and ran away. The next morning the French moved inland and occupied strong defensive positions on high rocky ground. Meanwhile, the British, although outnumbered, decided to attack, with many Fishguard locals volunteering to fight, notable among whom was Jemima Nicholas, who single-handedly took twelve French soldiers prisoner in St Mary's Church armed only with a pitchfork.
These actions convinced Tate that although he had much the superior forces, he had to accept an unconditional surrender and the following afternoon the French laid down their weapons on Goodwick sands.
WILLIAM FITZOSBERN MADE EARL OF HEREFORD
William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford (c. 1020 – 22 February 1071) was a relative and close counsellor of William the Conqueror, who was made Earl of Hereford on 22nd February 1067.
FitzOsbern is known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and after the Norman conquest, William the Conquerer placed three of his most loyal companions as the Earls of Hereford, Chester and, Shrewsbury, namely, William FitzOsbern, Hugh d'Avranches and, Roger de Montgomerie.
These areas became known as the Welsh Marches and were established as autonomous regions with their own laws and customs, with the aim of bringing Wales under control. They absorbed towns and villages and FitzOsbern began by invading and conquering Gwent.
FitzOsbern also built many castles, including those at Chepstow, Wigmore, Clifford, Berkeley and Monmouth, as well as improving the defences of the towns of Hereford and Shrewsbury.
BORN THIS DAY - BLEDDYN WILLIAMS
Born this day 1923, in Taff's Well.
Bleddyn Williams, former Wales and Lions rugby captain.
Williams was known as "the prince of centres" and was the last man to captain Wales to victory over New Zealand. He served during the Second World War with the RAF and afterwards became a rugby journalist with the Sunday People.
FIRST INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL OPENS IN WALES
In February 1894, Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen in Caernarfon became the first intermediate school to open in Wales under the Welsh Intermediate Education Act of 1889.
The school is named after the education reformer Sir Hugh Owen, who recognising the need for improvements in education in Wales, was instrumental in the demand for action from the government.
Prior to this, the education of children up to the school leaving age of 10 was the responsibility of local school boards, but the new legislation replaced them with joint education committees in every Welsh county, responsible for establishment of the new intermediate schools
The aim of the intermediate schools was to provide education for children irrespective of their families social status or religious denomination. The leaving age was raised to 11 and later in 1899, to 12. However, initially the schools required a financial contribution from the parents, but as many were not able to afford it, by 1891 the children's education was provided free of charge. The new schools became known as county schools until the 1944 Education Act created the system of grammar, secondary modern and technical schools.
Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen is now a Welsh language comprehensive secondary school providing education for pupils aged 11–18.
MONMOUTHSHIRE & BRECON CANAL OPENED
In February 1796, the main line of what is now called the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal was opened. There were initially two separate canals, the Brecknock & Abergavenny and the Monmouthshire, which were linked in 1812 when the Brecknock and Abergavenny was extended to Pontymoile.
The canal and its horse-drawn tramway provided a means for local industries, such as coal and ironstone to transport their goods through the narrow Mid Wales valleys. However the arrival of the railways saw their usage decline, and by 1865 the Monmouthshire Canal closed, which was followed by various other parts of the canal being filled in for road construction, leaving it effectively unnavigable.
However recent restoration work has seen sections of the canal reopen, in particular, the stretch from Brecon to Pontymoile.
RICHARD TREVITHICK
On this day in 1804, the first steam train made its maiden journey, from Penydarren Ironworks to Abercynon
Samuel Homfray, the owner of the Penydaren Ironworks tasked Richard Trevithick his mechanical engineer to produce a steam locomotive to transport the produce of the ironworks. Homfray was so impressed with Trevithick's design that he placed a wager with Richard Crawshay that it could haul ten tons of iron from Penydarren Ironworks to Abercynon, a distance of 9.75 miles (16 km).
On the morning of 21 February 1804, Trevithick's locomotive successfully completed the journey in 4 hours and 5 minutes, reaching a top speed of nearly five miles an hour and this became the World's first locomotive-hauled railway journey. There is a monument dedicated to Trevithick's locomotive in Merthyr and a full-scale working reconstruction of it can be seen at National Waterfront Museum in Swansea where several times a year it is run on a 40m length of rail outside the museum.
GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH
On 21st February 1152 Archbishop Theobald consecrated Geoffrey of Monmouth as bishop of St Asaph. Geoffrey, whose work is generally accepted as establishing the myths surrounding King Arthur and Merlin, was probably born sometime between 1100 and 1110 in Wales or the Welsh Marches.
He was a cleric and author, who is best known for his chronicle Historia Regum Britanniae ("History of the Kings of Britain"), which was widely popular in its day and was credited well into the 16th century. It is now however acknowledged by many modern historians as containing little reliable history.
CHARLOTTE CHURCH
Born this day 1986, in Llandaff.
Charlotte Church, who came to public notice when she made an impromptu appearance on "The Big Big Talent Show" in 1996, she came on to say a few words about her aunt, who was also making an appearance on the show, and was asked her to sing. She stole the show and immediately became an overnight sensation.
More television and concert appearances followed, such as those at Cardiff Arms Park, the London Palladium, the Royal Albert Hall, and opening for Shirley Bassey in Antwerp. She was signed to Sony Music (UK) and has released three best-selling albums of popular classics and at 12, she was the youngest person at no. 1 in the classical charts with the release of her album, Voice of an Angel.
.
SIR WILLIAM GOSCOMBE JOHN
Born on this day 1860 in Canton, Cardiff.
Sir William Goscombe John - greatly respected sculptor who made several public monuments, memorials and statues of public figures, including the memorial at Port Sunlight to the employees of Lever Brothers Ltd who died during the First World War.
BORN THIS DAY - TITUS LEWIS
Born on this day 1773 in Cilgerran, Pembrokeshire.
Titus Lewis - a Baptist minister and writer, who is notable for the publication of A Welsh-English Dictionary as well Hanes Prydain Fawr (a History of Great Britain) and several hymns and biblical commentaries, including, along with Christmas Evans, a translation of Gill's commentary on the New Testament into Welsh.
SWANSEA BLITZ
The Swansea Blitz was a heavy and sustained bombing of Swansea by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany between the 19–21 February 1941. The Luftwaffe unleashed 1273 high explosive bombs and 56,000 incendiary devices, targeting the port, docks the oil refinery at Llandarcy, ironically the Three Night Blitz left the industrial area virtually unscathed but almost completely obliterated the town centre destroying 857 properties and damaging 11,000. 230 people were killed, 409 were injured.
bb
bb
mm
RICHARD TECWYN WILLIAMS
bb
nn
Born this day 1909, in Abertillery
Richard Tecwyn Williams, who has been described as the founding father of drug metabolism.
Williams was the first scientist to really study how drugs are metabolised in a living body and his book "Detoxication Mechanisms", described as "a marvel of organisation and enlightenment" helped in prescribing drugs to provide the maximum effect and minimum side effects. He was awarded honorary degrees from Paris, Germany and Nigeria. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and an honorary member of The Mark Twain Society USA.
nn
mm
m
nnkg
ST DAVIDS CATHEDRAL EARTHQUAKE IN 1247
On 20th February 1247 St David's Cathedral suffered earthquake damage.
A History of St David's Cathedral;
6th century - The monastic community was founded by Saint David ( Dewi Sant; c. 500 – c. 589)
Between 645 and 1097, the monastery suffered many attacks, including those by Vikings and several of the Bishops were murdered, including in 999, Bishop Moregenau and in 1080, Bishop Abraham.
c.885 - The cathedral was of such note as both a religious and intellectual centre that Asser, a Welsh monk from St David's was asked by King Alfred the Great to join his court and help rebuild the intellectual life of the Kingdom of Wessex. Asser later wrote a biography of Alfred in 893.
1081 - William the Conquerer visited St David.
1090 - Welsh scholar, Rhigyfarch wrote a Life of St David.
1123 - Pope Calixtus II bestowed a Papal privilege on St David's, making it the object of pilgrimages.
1131 - A new Cathedral was completed.
1171 - King Henry II's visit saw the following of David increase – and the need for a larger Cathedral.
1247 - Reported earthquake damage to the cathedral.
1540 - During The Dissolution of the Monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII, the body of Edmund Tudor, father of Henry VII, was brought to St David's from the dissolved Greyfriars’ Priory in Carmarthen, for reburial.
1649 - 1658 - During the Puritan Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell, the Cathedral was all but destroyed by Cromwell’s forces, and the lead stripped from the Bishop’s Palace roof.
1793 - The Welsh architect John Nash was commissioned to restore the West Front, to repair the damage done one hundred and fifty years previously.
1862-70 - Within a century the Nash West Front had become unstable, and the whole building was restored by George Gilbert Scott.
1995 - The British Government reinstated the title of "City" to St Davids.
THE GOVERNER FENNER SINKS IN 1841
lll
pp
On 20th February 1841, The Governor Fenner, carrying emigrants to America, sank off Holyhead with the loss of 123 lives. It has been described as one of the most appalling calamities that ever occurred off the shores of Britain.
bbb
BRITAIN'S FIRST POST BUS - LLANIDLOES TO LLANGURIG
mmm
Britain's first Post Bus service was introduced on 20th February 1967. It ran between Llanidloes and Llangurig, North Wales.
Post Buses covered 300 routes at their peak, where they provided a lifeline for isolated communities by combining mail delivery and collection with passenger transport. However recently the services have declined and there are now less than twenty Post Buses remaining.
kk
zzz
vvvll
BORN THIS DAY - MIKE ROBERTS
Born on this day 1946 in St Asaph
Mike Roberts, former Wales international rugby union player, who toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions in 1971.
On 19th February 1881, Wales played their first ever rugby international, against England at Blackheath’s, Richardson ’s Field.
The game is noted for it's chaotic organisation and it didn't help that the RFU insisted that the match was played on the same day that Swansea were playing Llanelli in a semi-final cup-tie thus depriving Wales of several players. The players had never played together before and one player, Major Richard Summers from Haverfordwest was selected on the performances for his school.
As no formal invitations to play were sent out, two of those expected to play didn't turn up and two bystanders, with tenuous Welsh links were roped in to play, so the final team that took to the pitch consisted of 8 Welshmen, 4 Englishmen, 2 Irishmen and an Australian.
Major Summers described the playing kit as being light walking boots, high-necked jerseys and buttoned blue knickers. The changing rooms were in a pub and the teams had to walk half a mile to game, before which, rumour has it that the Welsh team had been drinking heavily.
Needless to say, the Welsh team lost heavily, 82-0 under modern scoring values. It could have been worse as England had a try disallowed when England captain Lennard Stokes put Hunt in for a score by throwing a colossal pass, the umpires deciding that a long pass was not fair play.
The Welsh connection to Kellogg's Corn Flakes;
Kellogg's was founded as the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company on February 19th 1906, by Will Keith Kellogg.
On one of her overseas trips in 1922, Nansi Richards, the internationally acclaimed Welsh harpist, visited the home of Will Kellogg, who was looking for a marketing idea for his cornflakes. It is said that Nansi suggested a pun on the name Kellogg and the Welsh word "ceiliog", meaning "cockerel". Will Kellogg liked the idea and Cornelius Rooster was born and has appeared on packs of Kellogg's Corn Flakes ever since.
Born this day 1942, in Cardiff
Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman of the Board and former CEO of Sony Corporation.
After graduating from Oxford University, he moved to the United States, where after six weeks he was draughted into the United States Army and served in the Vietnam War. Afterwards he joined CBS and rose from a job answering backstage phones for The Ed Sullivan Show to become president, during which time he won nine Emmys. In 1997, he joined Sony and in 2005, was appointed as chairman and CEO.
Born this day 1906, in Barry
Grace Williams, who is regarded as one of Wales' most important composers.
Williams was a pupil at the Royal College of Music and at Wellesz in Vienna. She wrote mostly orchestral and choral music and early in her career was influenced by Vaughan Williams and Elgar. She is best known for her orchestral Fantasy on Welsh Nursery Tunes (1940) and Sea Sketches (1944) and became the first British woman to score a feature film, with Blue Scar. In 1966, she turned down an offer of the OBE for her services to music.
On 19th February 1766, Thomas Kymer was granted an Act of Parliament allowing him to construct the Kidwelly and Llanelli Canal.
The Kidwelly and Llanelli Canal with an adjoining tramroad was, built to carry anthracite coal from Little Gwendraeth River, near Kidwely to the coast for onward transportation. It originally linked pits at Pwll y Llygod, near Trimsaran, to a dock near Kidwelly, but as the entrance to the dock was subject to silting, an extension of the canal to Llanelli was authorised in 1812.
Clement Edward Davies - leader of the Liberal Party from 1945 to 1956.
On 19th February 2011, the first public passenger train operated between Caernarfon and Porthmadog Harbour over the restored Welsh Highland Railway.
The Welsh Highland Railway or Rheilffordd Eryri is a 25-mile long restored narrow gauge heritage railway which passes through Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass.
The original Welsh Highland Railway was formed in 1922 as a replacement for the horse pulled Croesor Tramway which had run from Porthmadog since 1863 up into the Croesor Valley and the slate quarries in the area. It closed in 1933 as its carriages were outdated and uncomfortable and the service had a reputation for being unreliable.
On 19th February 2013, the sky above the Brecon Beacons National Park became the first area in Wales and only the fifth in the World to be granted the status of international dark sky reserve by the International Dark-Sky Association.
Born on this day 1936 in Rhuddlan.
Philip Jones Griffiths - a photojournalist. known for his coverage of the Vietnam war, which helped turn public opinion against it and is now regarded as a classic series of photojournalism.
Born on this day 1901 in Bedwellty, Monmouthshire
William James Owen - a miner and politician, whose parliamentary career was ended with his trial under the Official Secrets Act for giving state secrets to Czechoslovakia.
Born this day 1967, in Cardiff
Colin Jackson, CBE is a Welsh former athlete who won an Olympic silver medal at the 1988 games in Seoul for the 110 m hurdles and became world champion three times, His world record of 12.91 seconds stood for over a decade. He now works as a sports commentator and television presenter and came second in the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing in 2005. He is the brother of actress Suzanne Packer who stars in the BBC hospital drama Casualty.
Born this day 1899, in Pembroke
Mervyn Johns, an actor who appeared regularly in the films of the Ealing Studios. He also made many television appearances, such as in The Avengers, Danger Man and Dixon of Dock Green.
Born this day 1900, in Neath.
Cecil "CR" Griffiths, who won an Olympic Gold medal at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, running the opening leg for the victorious British 4×400 metre relay team.
Griffiths was not able to compete in the 1924 Games in Paris, as he had been reported for accepting a fee for running in an exhibition race, meaning that he was no longer an amateur.
James Morgan (1776– 18 February 1856) was an architect and engineer, notably associated with the construction of the Regent's Canal in London.
Morgan is thought to have been born in Carmarthen, where he became employed by architect John Nash as an engineer in the building of Regent's Park and Regent's Canal across Central London. Morgan subsequently designed and supervised the building of bridges, tunnels and docks with perhaps his most notable achievements being the Maida Hill and Islington tunnels.
On this day 1912 Edgar Evans perished on the return journey from the South Pole
Edgar Evans was born at Middleton on Gower on the 7th March 1876. He attended St. Helen's Boys School before joining the Royal Navy in 1891, at the age of fifteen. His first experience of polar exploration was between 1901-04 when he joined the National Antarctic Expedition whose brief was to seek out mineral wealth for the British Empire. The officer in command, Captain R.F.Scott was so impressed with Evans' ingenuity, strength and courage that he invited him to join the British Antarctic Expedition's attempt to reach the South Pole (1910-13).
The five-man team reached the Pole on 17th January, 1912 only to discover that Amundsen had beaten them to it. Demoralised and suffering from the effects of a poor diet and inadequate equipment, the team perished on the return journey, Edgar Evans was the first to die. His widow, Lois, had a plaque placed, in his memory, in the church at Rhossili and Evans is also remembered at the naval shore establishment on Whale Island, Portsmouth, where the Edgar Evans Building was the first to be named after a petty officer rather than an admiral.
Born this day 1944, in Penclawdd, Gower
Karl Jenkins, CBE, musician and composer.
Jenkins, who began his musical career with the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, went on to to study music at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music. He was known in his early career as a jazz musician, playing saxaphone, keyboards and oboe.
His album "Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary" was No.1 in the classical album charts and "The Armed Man" was listed as No. 1 in Classic FM's "Top 10 by living composers". Jenkins is a fellow and an associate of the Royal Academy of Music, joint president of the British Double Reed Society and Patron of the International Choral Music Society.
Jenkins has also created several pieces of music for advertising and is best known in that field for composing the music for Levi's Jeans and Renault's "Papa, Nicole, advertisements.
Born on this day 1919 in Wardley, Tyne and Wear.
Jonah Jones - respected artist who worked in many media including slate, stone and stained and leaded glass, he also produced bronze busts and painted watercolours.
Although born in North East England, Jones is widely associated with Wales, as his father was of Welsh descent and he spent over 50 years working and living in Wales. His work was also greatly influenced by Welsh themes, such as the Mabinogion and the landscape of North Wales.
Jones is perhaps best remembered as a lettering artist, with his intricately carved inscriptions in Westminster Abbey for David Lloyd George and Dylan Thomas, good examples.
On 17th February 1976 - Operation Julie was launched at a meeting in Brecon, involving a number of chief constables and senior drug squad officers. It eventually resulted in the break-up of one of the largest LSD manufacturing operations in the world.
The subsequent drugs raid in 1977 on an LSD factory in mid-Wales discovered six million tabs, which was the largest stash of illegal drugs ever found and resulted in dozens of people being arrested.
Born this day 1922 in Cilfynydd.
Sir Geraint Evans - world famous operatic baritone.
Geraint Evans started work at the age of 14 as errand-boy for a ladies' outfitter in Pontypridd, whilst taking singing lessons in Cardiff. During the war he served as a radio mechanic and afterwards launched his singing career, by joining the Covent Garden Opera Company in 1948. In 1959 he began a 24-year association with the San Francisco Opera and then in 1961 an equally fruitful connection with the Chicago Lyric Opera, he was made a Knight Bachelor in 1969. His greatest strength was said to be his ability to bring to life, uninspiring charcters with comic genius.
On this day 1953, Usk castle was made a Grade I listed building
Usk castle is situated on a site that the Romans established a fortress before moving it to Caerleon. The castle was thought to have been laid out by the Norman Marcher Lord, Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare in 1120 in an attempt to control the newly taken area. The Welsh, however, took the castle in 1138, 1174, 1184 and again in 1233 by an alliance of Richard Marshall and Llywelyn the Great.
The rebellion of Owain Glyndwr brought significant conflict to the area as the town of Usk was burnt in 1402 and 1405, but the castle held out. After the rebellion, the castle passed to the Duchy of Lancaster and no further redevelopment or refortification was undertaken.
Born this day 1950, in Nairobi
Peter Hain, former MP for Neath and Secretary of State for Wales since 1991, who served as a minister for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Hain came to the UK from South Africa as a teenager, where he was a noted anti-apartheid campaigner in the 1970s.
Born on this day 1859 at Cefnddwysarn near Bala.
Thomas Edward Ellis , usually known as T. E. Ellis, who was a politician and the leader of Cymru Fydd, a movement aimed at gaining home rule for Wales.
T. E. Ellis attended Bala Grammar School, the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and New College, Oxford, graduating in history in 1884.
On leaving Oxford, Ellis briefly went into journalism, before becoming private secretary to Liberal MP John Brunner. This took him to London and drew him closer to a political life and in 1886 he became Liberal MP for the Merionethshire constituency.
Ellis quickly became prominent as a spokesman for Welsh concerns and became the leader of the Cymru Fydd movement, working with Lloyd George to try and establish Home Rule for Wales. In 1892 when Gladstone formed a new administration, Ellis became Chief Whip, which meant that he had to withdraw from Cymru Fydd, whose leadership was taken over by Lloyd George and John Herbert Lewis (MP for Flint Boroughs).
