2010 Memorial of Six Bells Colliery

Six Bells Colliery was a coal mine located in Six Bells, Abertillery, Monmouthshire, South Wales. In 1960 it was the site of an underground explosion which killed 45 local miners. The sculpture commemorates the pit disaster of 1960 and is a tribute to those who work in dangerous industries. Designed by Sebastian Boyesen, it is fabricated with thousands of steel ribbons. The statue was unveiled by The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams in 2010. Known as the Guardian, the statue has been described as "a Welsh answer to Antony Gormley's Angel of the North".

2009 Kilvey Hill transmitter digital switchover

The Kilvey Hill transmitting station was originally built at the summit of Kilvey Hill in Swansea, by the BBC in 1967 as a relay for VHF and UHF television. As built, the station did not radiate VHF FM radio, this was added later. Freeview digital terrestrial TV was already available at low power from this transmitter before the digital switchover process began. Currently, the hill's transmitters cater for viewers and listeners in the Swansea and Neath Port Talbot area. The transmission station located on top of Kilvey Hill is owned and operated by Arqiva.

2007 Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal's bank collaps

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its 56 km (35 mile) length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park. In 2007 a serious breach occurred when part of the canal bank near Gilwern collapsed, causing a number of houses to be evacuated. Eight people were rescued, and the A4077 road between Crickhowell and Gilwern was closed, for a period which was expected to be several weeks. Two families were provided with temporary accommodation, and twenty-three hire boats were also affected with cranes being brought in to help them back to their bases.

2006 NDA announced Wylfa power station shut down

The Wylfa Nuclear Power Station (Welsh - Atomfa'r Wylfa) is situated just west of Cemaes Bay on the island of Anglesey, North Wales. Its location on the coast provided a cooling source for its operation. The construction of the power station, which was undertaken by British Nuclear Design & Construction (BNDC), began in 1963. The reactors were supplied by The Nuclear Power Group (TNPG) and the turbines by English Electric. It was the second nuclear power station to be built in Wales, after Trawsfynydd. Reactor 2 was retired in 2012, and in 2015, Reactor 1 was also shut down, after more than 44 years of operating.

2005 Cardiff celebrates its centenary

Cardiff (Welsh -  Caerdydd) is the capital and largest city in Wales and the tenth largest city in the United Kingdom. Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed the capital of Wales in 1955, by a written reply by the Home Secretary Gwilym Lloyd George. The city was awarded with the European City of Sport in 2009 due to its role in hosting major international sporting events. Again Cardiff was the European City of Sport in 2014. The Millennium Stadium hosted 11 football matches as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics, including the games' opening event and the men's bronze medal match.

2004 Wales Millennium Centre

Wales Millennium Centre (Welsh - Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru) is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay. Phase 1 of the building was opened in 2004 and phase 2 opened in 2009 with an inaugural concert. Opening ceremony was organised by Bryn Terfel, the creative director of the whole opening weekend. The centre has hosted performances of opera, ballet, dance, comedy and musicals. The main theatre, the Donald Gordon Theatre, has 1,897 seats, the BBC Hoddinott Hall 350 and the Weston Studio Theatre 250. The inscription in the front of the building in Welsh reads: CREU GWIR FEL GWYDR O FFWRNAIS AWEN (English: Creating Truth Like Glass From Inspiration's Furnace). The inscription in English reads: IN THESE STONES HORIZONS SING.

2000 Child abuse scandal

The North Wales child abuse scandal was the subject of a three-year, £13 million investigation into the physical and sexual abuse of children in care homes in the counties of Clwyd and Gwynedd, in North Wales, including the Bryn Estyn children's home at Wrexham, between 1974 and 1990. The report into the scandal, headed by retired High Court judge Sir Ronald Waterhouse QC, which was published in 2000. In 2014, the owner of several children's residential homes in the Wrexham area, John Allen, was convicted at Mold Crown Court on 33 counts of sexual abuse against 19 boys and one girl, aged between 7 and 15, during the 1960s and 1970s. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

1995 Disappearance of Richey Edwards

Richard James Edwards (born 1967, disappeared 1995, officially presumed dead 2008) was a Welsh musician who was lyricist and rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. He was born and raised in Blackwood, Caerphilly. Edwards was initially a driver and roadie for Manic Street Preachers, but he soon became accepted as the band's main spokesman and fourth member. His real contribution to Manic Street Preachers was in the words and design. It was widely believed that he took his own life by jumping from the bridge. Many people who knew him, however, have said that he was never the type to contemplate suicide.

1977 Johnny Owen wins Bantamweight Championship

John Richard Owens (1956 - 1980) was a professional boxer from Wales who fought under the name Johnny Owen. His fragile appearance earned him many epithets, including ‘the Bionic Bantam’ and ‘the Merthyr Matchstick’. He became the first ever Welsh holder of the Bantamweight Championship of the Commonwealth. He challenged champion Lupe Pintor, losing a torturously difficult contest by way of twelfth round knockout. Owen never regained consciousness, fell into a coma and died seven weeks later. Twenty years later, a memorial to Johnny Owen was unveiled in Merthyr Tydfil. At the request of the late fighter's father, the unveiling was performed by Lupe Pintor.

1966 Aberfan disaster

The Aberfan disaster was a catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip in the Welsh village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, killing 116 children and 28 adults. It was caused by a build-up of water in the accumulated rock and shale, which suddenly started to slide downhill in the form of slurry. Over 40,000 cubic metres of debris covered the village in minutes, and the classrooms at Pantglas Junior School were immediately inundated, with young children and teachers dying from impact or suffocation. A few children were pulled out alive in the first hour, but no survivors were found after 11 a.m. Rescue work had to be temporarily halted during the day when water began pouring down the slope again, and because of the vast quantity and consistency of the spoil, it was nearly a week before all the bodies were recovered.

1938 Temple of Peace and Health is opened

The Welsh National Temple of Peace and Health, is a non-religious civic building in Cardiff. Since its foundation the building has always served a dual function as headquarters for health and international affairs organisations. The Temple of Peace and Health was the brainchild of David Davies, 1st Baron Davies, and it was designed by the architect Sir Percy Thomas, who was awarded the Bronze medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects for its design. In founding this public building, Lord Davies hoped to combine the ideals of peace and health. He wanted these two great humanitarian causes to be expressed in the architectural design of the building. The foundation stone was laid by Viscount Halifax in 1937.

1922 Urdd Gobaith Cymru is founded

Urdd Gobaith Cymru, literally, the Welsh League of Hope, but normally translated as the Welsh League of Youth, is a Welsh-medium youth movement. The Urdd is Wales's largest youth organisation and it was founded in 1922 by Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards. The first Urdd local branch was established in Treuddyn in 1922. The logo of the Urdd is a triangle of green (symbolising Wales), red (symbolising fellow-man), and white (symbolising Christ). In 1925 the first "Peace and Goodwill Message" from the youth of Wales to the youth of the world was issued by the Urdd, a custom that continues every year on 18 May.

1902 Opening of Great Orme

The Great Orme (Welsh - Y Gogarth or Pen y Gogarth) is a prominent limestone headland on the north coast of Wales, next to the town of Llandudno. It is echoed by the Little Orme, a smaller but very similar limestone headland on the eastern side of Llandudno Bay in the parish of Llanrhos. Its English name derives from the Viking (Old Norse) word for sea serpent. The Great Orme being the head, with its body being the land between the Great and Little Ormes. Although the Vikings left no written texts of their time in North Wales, they certainly raided the area though they appear to have not founded any permanent settlements.

1894 Mining disaster at Albion Colliery

Cilfynydd is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, a mile from the South Wales Valleys town of Pontypridd, and 13 miles north of the capital city, Cardiff. The Albion Steam Coal Co. began sinking a coal mine in 1884 at Ynyscaedudwg Farm. The Albion Colliery opened in August 1887, served by the Llancaiach Branch line of the Taff Vale Railway. Albion was the scene of the second worst disaster in the South Wales Coalfield, after the later disaster at the Universal Colliery at Senghenydd in 1913 (439 men are killed). Massive explosion caused by the ignition of coal dust following an explosion of firedamp killed 290 men and boys. Almost everyone in the community lost someone in the disaster.

1877 First soccer Welsh Cup

The Welsh Cup (Welsh - Cwpan Cymru) is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales. The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition. The Welsh Cup was first awarded in 1877 to Wrexham, who have won it a record 23 times. From 1996 to 2011, only clubs playing in the Welsh football league system were allowed to enter the Welsh Cup. This rule excluded the six Welsh clubs who played in the English football league system - Cardiff City, Colwyn Bay, Merthyr Tydfil Town, Newport County, Swansea City and Wrexham. In 2012, UEFA stated that Welsh clubs playing in the English football league system could not qualify for European competitions via the Welsh Cup but they could qualify via the English league and cup competitions, hence they were again excluded from the Welsh Cup.

1863 Spa built at Trefriw

Trefriw is today mostly known for its woollen mills, and for the nearby chalybeate spa. Its waters were one of very few throughout Europe to have been classified as a medicine due to their high iron content. In 1833 the old Roman mineral water caves (believed to have been discovered by soldiers of the XXth Roman Legion) were excavated in an attempt to attract people to them. In 1863 Lord Willoughby de Eresby built a small bath-house, replaced a decade later by the current building. In 2003, Nelsons purchased the Spa and the rights to the Spatone mineral water produced there. Today Spatone is sold around the world, with all packaging and manufacture on site in Trefriw.

1831 Merthyr Rising

The Merthyr Rising was the violent climax to many years of simmering unrest among the large working class population of Merthyr Tydfil and the surrounding area. The coal miners and others who worked for William Crawshay took to the streets, protesting against the lowering of their wages and general unemployment. For the first time in the world the red flag of revolution was flown. Twenty-six people were arrested and put on trial for taking part in the revolt. Several were sentenced to terms of imprisonment, others sentenced to penal transportation to Australia, and two were sentenced to death by hanging - Lewsyn yr Heliwr (known as Lewis Lewis) for robbery and Dic Penderyn (known as Richard Lewis) for stabbing a soldier in the leg with a seized bayonet.

1811 Presbyterian Church of Wales

The Presbyterian Church of Wales (Welsh - Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru), also known as The Calvinistic Methodist Church, is a denomination of Protestant Christianity in Wales. It was born out of the Welsh Methodist revival and the preaching of Howell Harris and Daniel Rowland and seceded from the Church of England in 1811. Most of churches are in Wales, but due to strong historical links between the Welsh and certain English cities, there are churches using both the English and the Welsh languages in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Coventry and Liverpool.

1780 Ladies of Llangollen

The Ladies of Llangollen were two upper-class women from Ireland whose relationship scandalised and fascinated their contemporaries. Eleanor Charlotte Butler (1739 - 1829) was a member of one of the dynastic families of Ireland, the Butlers, the Earls (and later Dukes) of Ormond. Sarah Ponsonby (1755 - 1831) lived with relatives in Woodstock, County Kilkenny. Their families lived only 3 km (2 mi) from each other. They met in 1768, and quickly became friends. Rather than face the possibility of being forced into unwanted marriages, they left County Kilkenny together in 1778. Their families hunted them down and forcefully tried to make them give up their plans - in vain. They decided to move to England, but ended up in Wales and set up home at Plas Newydd.

1759 Dowlais Ironworks

The Dowlais Ironworks was a major ironworks and steelworks located at Dowlais near Merthyr Tydfil. The other were Cyfarthfa, Plymouth, and Penydarren Ironworks. Founded in the 18th century, it operated until the end of the 20th, at one time in the 19th century being the largest steel producer in the UK. There were nine original partners including Thomas Lewis and Isaac Wilkinson. Dowlais Ironworks were the first business to license the Bessemer process, using it to produce steel in 1865.

1736 Flat Holm Lighthouse

Flat Holm (Welsh - Ynys Echni) is a limestone island lying in the Bristol Channel approximately 6 km (4 mi) from Lavernock Point in the Vale of Glamorgan. It includes the most southerly point of Wales. The first light on the island was a simple brazier mounted on a wooden frame, which stood on the high eastern part of the island. In 1735 Mr. William Crispe of Bristol submitted a proposal to build a lighthouse at his own expense. This initial proposal failed but negotiations resumed in 1736 when 60 soldiers drowned after their vessel crashed on the Wolves rocks near Flat Holm. Following this disaster, the Society of Merchant Venturers finally supported William Crispe's proposal.

1725 Apothecary Silvanus Bevan

Silvanus Bevan (1691 - 1765) was born in Swansea, into a prosperous Welsh Quaker family. He was an apothecary, who founded the London firm of Allen & Hanburys. He left Swansea as a young man, and moved to Cheapside, in London. The business was founded in 1715 in Old Plough Court, Lombard Street, London. In the nineteenth century, under William Allen and the Hanbury family, Allen & Hanburys became one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in London. In 1725, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, on the proposal of Isaac Newton. Although he spoke Welsh badly, in 1762 he was elected a member of the Cymmrodorion.

1702 The Welch Regiment of Fusiliers

The Royal Welch Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The regiment was numbered as the 23rd Regiment of Foot, though it was one of the first regiments to be granted the honour of a fusilier title and so was known as The Welch Regiment of Fusiliers from 1702. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and to take part in the imminent war with France. The regiment primarily recruited from North Wales. It should not be confused with the Welch Regiment, which recruited from South and West Wales.

1699 Bryn Celli Ddu plundered by grave robbers

Bryn Celli Ddu is a prehistoric site on the Welsh island of Anglesey located near Llanddaniel Fab. Its name means "the mound in the dark grove". The monument is generally considered to be one of the finest passage tombs in Wales. Unlike many stone chambered tombs, this not only has a complete passage and burial chamber, but is also buried under a mound or cairn. Several unusual stones are at the site. Free-standing inside the burial chamber is a smooth stone pillar, some 2 m (6.6 ft) high, with a very rounded shape. Shaped stones of this sort are very rare.

1669 Henry Morgan

Sir Henry Morgan (Welsh - Henry Morgan, ca. 1635 - 1688) was a British privateer, buccaneer, and admiral of the Royal Navy. He made himself famous during activities in the Caribbean, primarily raiding Spanish settlements. He earned a reputation as one of the most notorious and successful privateers in history, and one of the most ruthless among those active along the Spanish Main. The pirate captain Henry Morgan frequently used the little island as a base for his operations. He planned and staged many of his largest raids from Isla Vaca (current name Île-à-Vache), and lost multiple ships in the island's waters which have recently been found and explored by research divers.

1636 The three-arch stone bridge

Pont Fawr, at Llanrwst is narrow three-arch stone bridge that is said to have been designed by Inigo Jones, was built in 1636 by Sir John Wynn of Gwydir Castle. The bridge connects the town with Gwydir, a manor house dating from 1492, the 15th-century courthouse known as Tu Hwnt i'r Bont and also with the road from nearby Trefriw. Llanrwst is a small town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy in Conwy County Borough. It takes its name from the 5th- to 6th-century Saint Grwst, "church or parish" llan "of St Grwst".

1604 Thomas Myddelton becomes Sheriff of London

Sir Thomas Myddelton (1550 - 1631) was the fourth son of Richard Myddelton, Governor of Denbigh, and Jane Dryhurst. He divided his time between London and Wales (Chirk Castle). He was a member of the Grocers' Company, a member of Parliament and a founder member of the East India Company, Sheriff of London in 1604 and Lord Mayor of London in 1613. His brother, Sir Hugh Myddleton, was instrumental in the creation of the New River which supplied London with fresh water from 1613. Along with Rowland Heylyn, Myddelton financed the publication of a Welsh language Bible suitable for everyday use.

1588 Bible translations into Welsh

Bible translations into Welsh have existed since at least the 15th century. Several 19th century sources mention that a translation from the Latin Vulgate was in existence in 1470. The most widely used translation of the Bible into Welsh for several centuries was the 1588 translation by William Morgan, as revised in 1620. An original copy of the Welsh Bible is displayed in St Asaph Cathedral, in St Asaph, North Wales. It was used at the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969. A new translation, Y Beibl Cymraeg Newydd (BCN), was published in 1988 and revised in 2004.

1546 The first printed book in Welsh

Yny lhyvyr hwnn was the first book to be printed in the Welsh language. It was written by John Price of Brecon, printed in London by Edward Whitchurch, and published in 1546. Sir John Prise (also Prys, Price, in Welsh - Syr Siôn ap Rhys, ca. 1502 - 1555) was a Welsh public notary, who acted as a royal agent and visitor of the monasteries. The National Library of Wales hold the only known copy of Yny lhyvyr hwnn. It was part of the foundation collection that Sir John Williams donated to the Library in 1908.

1541 Foundation of Christ College

Christ College, Brecon was founded by Royal Charter in 1541 by King Henry VIII. The Chapel and dining hall date from the 13th century when the site was occupied by a Dominican order Priory. It is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school, located in the market town of Brecon in mid-Wales. It currently caters for pupils aged 7–18 years. In September 2014 the school extended the age range that it caters for when it welcomed day pupils aged 7–11 into its new Junior section, St Nicholas House.

1535 Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542

The Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 (Welsh - Y Deddfau Cyfreithiau yng Nhgymru 1535 a 1542) were parliamentary measures by which Wales became a full and equal part of the Kingdom of England and the legal system of England was extended to Wales and the norms of English administration introduced. Before these Acts, Wales was excluded from Parliamentary representation and divided between the Principality of Wales, and a large number of feudal statelets; the marcher lordships. The Acts were passed during the reign of King Henry VIII of England, who came from the Welsh Tudor dynasty.

1517 Lady Catherine Gordon

Lady Catherine Gordon (c. 1474 - 1537) was a Scottish noblewoman. She had a total of four husbands, but there are no records she had any surviving children. After her imprisonment by King Henry VII of England, she became a favoured lady-in-waiting of his wife, Elizabeth of York. A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a court, royal or feudal, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman and is considered more of a companion to her mistress than a servant. In 1517, she married her third husband, Matthew Craddock of Swansea, who died c. 1531. He bequeathed her an income from the lands of Dinas Powys and Llanedeyrn near Cardiff.

1485 Henry Tudor last Welsh-born King of England

Henry VII of England (Henry Tudor, 2nd Earl of Richmond, Welsh - Harri Tudur, 1457 - 1509) was King of England, ruled the Principality of Wales (until 1489) and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown in 1485 until his death. Henry won the throne when his forces defeated the forces of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses. Henry was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle. He founded the Tudor dynasty and, after a reign of nearly 24 years, was peacefully succeeded by his son, Henry VIII.

1435 Owen Tudor imprisoned

Sir Owen Tudor (Welsh - Owain ap Maredudd ap Tudur, c. 1400 - 1461) was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Catherine of Valois (1401 - 1437), Henry V's widow. He was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty. Following Queen Catherine's death, Owen Tudor lost the protection from the statute on dowager queen's remarriage and was imprisoned in Newgate Prison. In 1438 he escaped but was later recaptured and held in the custody of the constable of Windsor Castle. In 1439 Henry VI of England granted him a general pardon, restoring his goods and lands.

1409 Harlech Castle captured

Harlech Castle is a medieval fortification, constructed atop a spur of rock close to the Irish Sea. It was built by Edward I during his invasion of Wales (1282 - 1289). Over the next few centuries, the castle played an important part in several wars, withstanding the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn (1294 - 95), but falling to Owain Glyndŵr in 1404. It then became Glyndŵr's residence and military headquarters for the remainder of the uprising until being recaptured by English forces in 1409. During the 15th century Wars of the Roses, Harlech was held by the Lancastrians for seven years, before Yorkist troops forced its surrender in 1468. UNESCO considers Harlech to be one of "the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe", and it is classed as a World Heritage site.

1403 Battle of Stalling Down

The Battle of Stalling Down is a battle between the supporters of the Welsh leader Owain Glyndŵr and those of King Henry IV of England. It was part of the Glyndŵr Rising or Welsh Revolt of 1400 - 1415. The exact site of the battle and the precise details of the action are not known. The general site is known locally as Bryn Owain, meaning Owain's Hill. The battle is said to have lasted 18 hours and resulted in an appalling defeat for the King's army. The English army retreated through Cardiff pursued by the Welsh, in a thunderstorm and terrible conditions including flooding.

1399 Henry of Monmouth Prince of Wales

Henry V (1387 - 1422) was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35. After his father's death, Henry assumed control of the country and embarked on war with France in the ongoing Hundred Years' War (1337 - 1453). His military successes culminated in his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt (1415, northern France). After months of negotiation with Charles VI of France, the Treaty of Troyes (1420) recognized Henry V as regent and heir-apparent to the French throne, and he was subsequently married to Charles's daughter, Catherine of Valois. Following Henry V's sudden and unexpected death in France two years later, he was succeeded by his infant son, who reigned as Henry VI.

1343 Edward, the Black Prince

Edward of Woodstock (after his birthplace, 1330 - 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault, and the father of King Richard II of England. He was the first Duke of Cornwall (from 1337), the Prince of Wales (from 1343) and the Prince of Aquitaine (1362 - 72). Since the 16th century has been popularly known as the Black Prince. He was an exceptional military leader, and his victories over the French at the Battles of Crécy and Poitiers made him very popular during his lifetime. In 1348 he became the first Knight of the Garter, of whose order he was one of the founders.

1339 Farndon Bridge

Farndon Bridge crosses the River Dee and the England-Wales border between the villages of Farndon, Cheshire, England and Holt, Wales. The bridge was built in 1339 by Monks from St Werburgh's Abbey Chester. It originally had ten arches with a large gate tower on the fifth arch. In the 18th century the tower was demolished and two of the arches on the Welsh side were lost. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is a scheduled monument ("nationally important" archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change). The bridge is reputedly haunted by the ghosts of a Welsh prince's two murdered sons, who were drowned in the river.