Today in History

February 9th



1540 The first recorded horse racing meeting in Britain; held at the Roodeye Field, Chester. Chester Racecourse is, according to official records, the oldest racecourse still in use in England



1543 Mary Stuart , at nine months old, is crowned Queen of Scots in the central Scottish town of Stirling


Today in 1739 saw the publication of the first edition of the Scots Magazine. The magazine was originally founded as a current affairs journal, and was often the first source of news for many Scots. It was deeply Hanoverian in its sympathies at the time and was highly regarded for its coverage of world affairs.




On this day 1964, BBC Cymru Wales was launched, to provide a service specific for Wales.



On February 9th, 1964, The Beatles made their iconic U.S. TV debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, captivating millions of viewers. This performance marked a turning point in music history, signaling the start of the British Invasion.





1968 Jean-Claude Killy wins Olympic downhill: On February 9, 1968, French skier Jean-Claude Killy won the gold medal in the downhill event at the Winter Olympics held in Grenoble, France

February 10th

On 10th February 1056, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn defeated an English army at Glasbury and claimed sovereignty over the whole of Wales.

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10th Feb 1355: The St. Scholastic’s Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England. 62 scholars and 30 locals lost their lives in the riots in two days.

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On 10th February 1557, Robert Recorde, a physician and mathematician born in Tenby,was imprisioned. He is best known for introducing the equals sign = and the plus sign + into mathematics in his textbook "The Whetstone of Witte" published in 1557.

Recorde graduated from Oxford University in 1531 and in 1545 he moved to London where he practised medicine. In 1549, he was appointed controller of the Bristol Mint, where he refused to give money to Sir William Herbert, who was governor to the young king Edward VI. In 1551, Recorde was appointed by the King to be general surveyor of the mines and monies in Ireland and in this capacity he was in charge of silver mines in Wexford and technical supervisor of the Dublin mint.

On his return in 1553, he attempted to regain his court position, by charging Herbert with misconduct, this was a misjudgement as Recorde, who was a supporter of the Reformation was unlikely to get a positive result against someone so close to the Catholic Queen Mary. Herbert countered Recorde's charges by successfully suing him for libel and Recorde was ordered to pay Herbert £1000 which he could not pay and was therefore sent to prison, where he died in 1558.

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…1567: Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, is found strangled following an explosion at the Kirk o' Field house in Edinburgh in a suspected assassination.
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On 10th February 1722, Black Bart (Barti Ddu) the pirate was killed by grapeshot.
Barti Ddu, born John Roberts in Little Newcastle, near Fishguard in about 1682, was one of the most successful and the last great pirate of the Golden Age of piracy.
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1816 (10th February) - The first two ships were launched from the Pembroke Doc dockyard – HMS Valorous and HMS Ariadne. Over the span of 112 years, five Royal Yachts were to be built, along with 263 other Royal Navy vessels.
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1962: Captured American U2 spy-plane pilot Gary Powers is exchanged for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.
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10 Feb 1967
The Beatles recorded the orchestral build-up for the middle and end of ' A Day in the Life At the Beatles' request, the orchestra members arrived in full evening dress along with novelty items. One violinist wore a red clown's nose, while another, a fake gorilla's paw on his bow hand. Others were wearing funny hats and other assorted novelties. The recording was filmed for a possible 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' television special which was ultimately abandoned. Mick Jagger,Keith Richard,Mike Nesmith from The Monkees and Donovan also attended the session.


1977: The Clash start to record their debut album at CBS's London studios. With punk rock fast becoming the latest big thing record companies were prepared to pay big money, with The Clash reportedly being offered a £100,000 deal.


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Thanks to the History of Wales for much of todays post

1897
New York Times begins using slogan' All The News Fit to Print'
1933
The Postal Telegraph Cable Company in NYC delivers its 1st signing telegram
1942
Glenn Miller& Orchestra awarded the 1st gold record for selling 1 million copies of single' Chattanooga Choo Choo'
1948
U. S. composer, Leroy Anderson completes his orchestral work' Sleigh Ride' which becomes worldwide holiday favorite
1971
singer/ songwriter, Carole King's album 'Tapestry' is released by A&M records,wins 4 Grammys inc 'Album of the Year' It sold over 30 million copies
1996
IBM chess playing computer' Deep Blue' becomes the 1st computer to win a game against reigning human chess champion, Garry Kasparov

11th February

1897 - Birth of Australian Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith in Brisbane, pioneering aviator who made the first trans-pacific flight.

1962 - Indigenous Australians were granted voting rights.

1964 - The Beatles play their first US concert, performing at the Washington Coliseum in Washington, DC.

2014 - Great Britain's Official Charts Company reported that "Queen's Greatest Hits" had become the first album in UK chart history to sell over six million copies.

2022 - The Koala listed is as endangered for the first time in Queensland, New South Wales and ACT after a steep decline in numbers.

February 11th



1177
John de Courcy's army defeats the native Dunleavey Clan in Ulster. The English establish themselves in Ulster.



1531Henry VIII declared himself as supreme head of the Church of England.



1542Catherine Howard, the fifth queen consort of Henry VIII, was confined in the Tower of London to be executed three days later. Henry learned that Catherine had had several affairs before their marriage and had Parliament declare it treason for an unchaste woman to marry the king. The night before her execution, Catherine spent many hours practising how to lay her head upon the block.



On February 11, 1586, Sir Francis Drake captured the Spanish city of Cartagena de Indias, located in present-day Colombia. Drake’s attack was part of the Anglo-Spanish War, aiming to weaken Spain’s influence in the Americas. The capture of Cartagena demonstrated England’s growing naval power and marked a significant blow to Spanish colonial interests. Drake’s actions not only enriched him and his crew but also contributed to the tension between England and Spain, eventually leading to the Spanish Armada’s defeat in 1588.




Thomas Edison’s Phonograph Patent: On February 11, 1878, Edison patented the phonograph, a device that could record and reproduce sound. This invention revolutionized the music industry and communication.



1938: The fledgling BBC Television service produces the world's first known science fiction TV program, a 35 minute section of the Karel Čapek play R.U.R. The play is famous for coining the term "robot".


1990: Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa after serving 27 years of a life sentence.

Music1963: The Beatles record 10 songs for their debut album Please Please Me in under twelve hours at London's Abbey Road Studio. To make up the 14 tracks required for the UK version of the LP the four sides of their first two singles are added.
On its release in March Please Please Me would hit the top of the UK album charts and remain there for 30 weeks.

11th February

1956 'Cambridge spies' surface in Moscow. Two British diplomats who vanished in mysterious circumstances five years ago have reappeared in the Soviet Union. Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean handed a statement to four representatives from the press in a hotel room overlooking Moscow's Red Square.

1975 Tories chose first woman leader. The British Conservative Party chose Margaret Thatcher as its new leader.

1976 John Curry skated to Olympic gold. Figure skater John Curry won Britain's first Olympic gold in the sport. It is the country's first medal at the winter games for 12 years.

1979 Victory for Khomeini as army stepped aside. Only 10 days since Khomeini's triumphant return to Iran from exile in Paris, the army returned to barracks and gave up the fight to defend the old regime.

1809
Robert Fulton patents steamboat
1929
Vatican City, world's smallest country becomes enclave of Rome
1957
National Hockey Player's Assoc is formed in NYC. Detroit Red Wings player, Ted Lindsay elected President
1963
one of the 1st cooking shows in U.S. debuts on Boston, Mass station WGBH with chef, Julia Child's show' The French Chef'
1989
Barbara Harris becomes the 1st female bishop elected of a U.S. Episcopal church in Massachusetts
1993
Janet Reno becomes the 1st female U.S. attorney General

12th February
1851 - Gold is discovered near Bathurst NSW, starting the first gold rush in Australia.

1947 - French fashion designer Christian Dior introduced the Dior Bar suit, a stark departure from practical wartime styles. With its full skirt, tight waist, and pronounced bust, Dior described this “New Look” as “the return to an ideal of civilized happiness.”

1961 - The Miracles' "Shop Around" was officially recognized as Motown Record's first million-selling single

1964 - Australian cricketer Richie Benaud retires after 63-tests.

1994 - Thieves broke into the National Gallery in Oslo and stole Edvard Munches' painting The Scream

On This Day - 12th February1502 – Vasco da Gama sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, on his second voyage to India Portuguese explorer, embarked on his second voyage to India on February 12, 1502, from Lisbon.

His first voyage, which took place in 1497-1499, had successfully opened up a sea route from Europe to India around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa.

This second expedition was larger, comprising 20 ships, and aimed to consolidate Portuguese interests in the Indian Ocean and establish Portuguese dominance in the spice trade.





1554 At the tender age of 16, the ‘nine days queen’, Lady Jane Grey and her husband Lord Guildford Dudley were beheaded; he on Tower Hill, she on Tower Green, after being implicated in the Wyatt's rebellion.
The rebellion arose out of concern over Queen Mary I's determination to marry Philip II of Spain, which was an unpopular policy with the English. It is believed that Lady Jane was born here, at Bradgate House in Leicestershire and spent the greater part of her short life there.



1688The conclusion of the ‘Glorious Revolution’. James II fled with his family to France, and the Prince of Orange and Princess Mary were declared King and Queen of England, France and Ireland.



1733Englishman James Oglethorpe founded Georgia, the 13th colony of the Thirteen Colonies, and its first city at Savannah. The 12th of February is known as Georgia Day for its historic importance to the state.




On February 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded. This organization aimed to fight racial discrimination and promote civil rights for African Americans.





1966: The radio-ship Cheeta 2, standing in for a damaged Radio Caroline ship Mi Amigo begins low power test transmissions.




1967: West Sussex Police raid "Redlands", the 15th century home of Rolling Stone Keith Richards and find he, Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull and others inside. After removing various substances summonses would be issued leading to Jagger and Richards going on trial in June for offences against the Dangerous Drugs Act.




1970 – John Lennon performed ‘Instant Karma!’ on BBC TV’s Top Of The Pops, becoming the first Beatle to have appeared on the show since 1966. Lennon wrote, recorded, and mixed his new single, all in one day. It ranks as one of the fastest-released songs in pop music history. Lennon later stated, “I wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we’re putting it out for dinner.”

February 13th


1542Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, was executed for adultery.


On the 13th of February [1594], in the preceding year, John Graham of Halyards, a Lord of Session (a kinsman of Montrose), was passing down Leith Wynd, attended by three or four score of armed men for his protection, when Sir James Sandilands, accompanied by his friend Ludovic Duke of Lennox, with an armed company, met him.

As they had recently been in dispute before the Court about some temple lands, Graham thought he was about to be attacked, and prepared to make resistance. The duke told him to proceed on his journey, and that no one would molest him; but the advice was barely given when some stray shots were fired by the party of the judge, who was at once attacked, and fell wounded.

He was borne bleeding into an adjacent house, whither a French boy, page to Sir Alexander Stewart, a friend of Sandilands, followed, and plunged a dagger into him, thus ending a lawsuit according to the taste of the age.– Old and New Edinburgh


13th Feb 1777: On this day Philosopher Marquis Sade was arrested without any charge and imprisoned in Vincennes fortress.



1917 Mata Hari's arrest for espionage: On February 13, 1917, Mata Hari, a Dutch dancer and alleged spy, was arrested in Paris on charges of espionage. She was accused of spying for Germany during World War I, leading to the deaths of thousands of French soldiers. Despite her claims of innocence, she was tried and executed by firing squad on October 15, 1917




On 13th February 1923, BBC broadcasting in Wales began when the British Broadcasting Company (as it then was) made its first radio broadcast from 'Station 5WA' in Cardiff. Blaina-born baritone Mostyn Thomas opened the programme, singing Dafydd y Garreg Wen and Gwilym Davies became the first speaker to broadcast in the Welsh language.






'Tynged yr Iaith'
On 13th February 1962, writer and political activist Saunders Lewis delivered a now famous radio lecture entitled Tynged yr Iaith -the Fate of the Language, which was instrumental in the formation of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh language Society) and, therefore, the implementation of most of the current bilingual policies.

In the lecture, Lewis predicted the decline and eventual death of the Welsh language if Welsh speakers did not refuse to fill in all types of official forms if it was not possible for them to do so in Welsh, even if it resulted in imprisonment.



1964: ex-Danish ferry Frederica leaves the Dutch port of Rotternam on the way to Greenore, Ireland to be re-fitted as Radio Caroline's first radio-ship.



1966: The Walton lifeboat is launched in reply to an emergency onboard Radio Caroline South (from her temporary home aboard Cheeta 2) when DJ Graham Webb falls ill with a throat virus.

1693
college of William&Mary opens in Williamsburg, VA, still open, 2nd oldest college in U.S.
1935
Bruno Hauptmann found guilty of kidnapping& murdering Charles Lindberg's infant son.
1984
6yr old Stormie Jones from Texas becomes the first person to receive a heart& liver transplant. Sadly she died Nov 11th,1990 age 13 due to rejection of the heart transplant
2000
The last original comic strip' Peanuts' appears in newspapers one day after the creator, Charles 'Sparky' Schulz dies
2017
actor Harrison Ford involved in a near miss collision when he flew his Aviat Huskey single engine plane over an American Airlines Boeing 737 with 116 people on board. He mistakenly landed on a taxi way at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif. All were safe, FAA did not find him,instead he took safety training

14th February
1792 - The first private store/shop opened in the colony of NSW at Parramatta, selling produce and alcohol.

1954 - The Australian flag incorporating the Blue Ensign officially replaces the Union Jack and the Red Ensign when the Menzies government introduces the Flag Act.

1966 - Australia brings in Dollars and Cents to replace Pounds and Shillings

1975 - The Order of Australia medal was instituted by Queen Elizabeth the II to recognise individuals for their public service.

2004 - The Redfern (Sydney) race riots were activated when a 17-year-old indigenous male died when he was impaled on a picket fence whilst being trailed by police.

February 16th


374 9th recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet
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The Battle of Karuse occurred on February 16, 1270, during the Northern Crusades. Fought on the frozen Baltic Sea, it featured the Livonian Order against Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Under harsh winter conditions, the Livonian knights attempted to expand Christian territories. Despite their formidable reputation, they faced fierce resistance from Lithuanian forces. This battle highlighted the tensions between expanding Christian orders and pagan Baltic tribes. The Lithuanian victory was a significant blow to the crusaders, emphasizing the resilience and strategic prowess of the Lithuanian leaders. It remains a notable episode in the history of Baltic region conflicts.
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Todays execution news
1495The execution of Sir William Stanley, best known for taking sides against Richard III, at the battle of Bosworth in 1485, which helped to secure Henry VII's victory. The new king bestowed many favours on Sir William, including the post of Lord Chamberlain and Chamberlain of the Exchequer.

However, in 1495 Sir William was convicted of treason, on circumstantial evidence, and was executed for his support of the pretender Perkin Warbeck.

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1659 The first known British cheque was written for the amount of £400.In today's money, that's equivalent to £48,000 ($62,525). The check is currently on display at Westminster Abbey.
However another site says-

1659The first British cheque (for £10) was written by Nicholas Vanacker and is now in the archives of the National Westminster Bank.
Historical sources and all that!
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1923: Archaeologist Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun and gets his first glimpse of the boy king's golden sarcophagus.
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On this day 1953, Usk castle was made a Grade I listed building.

Usk Castle is situated near to the site where 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 burned 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.
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1957: BBC Television makes use of the recently abolished 'Toddlers truce' hour between 6 and 7pm by airing their first Rock 'n' Roll music program The Six-Five Special, hosted by Pete Murray.
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1963
The Beatles saw their second release, "Please Please Me", reach the top of the UK singles chart. No one seemed to care that during one verse, John and Paul can clearly be heard singing different words.
That needs some more research!
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1972 Miners Strike
Many homes and businesses will be without electricity for up to nine hours a day from today, the Central Electricity Generating Board has announced.
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1978: The first computer bulletin board system is created in Chicago, Illinois when programmer Ward Christensen writes CBBS (Computerized Bulletin Board System) to allow him and other computer hobbyists to exchange information between each another via modem connections.

16th February

1793 - The first free settlers arrive in NSW (Australia). These free settlers were an estimated 46 wives and children of the marines who escorted the convicts.

1923 - The door to the burial chamber of Egyptian King, Tutankhamun is opened.

1957 - BBC television's first Rock 'n' Roll music program The Six-Five Special, began. So named for the time the show began, five minutes after six

1983 - The Ash Wednesday bushfires begin in Victoria and South Australia, ultimately claiming the lives of 75 people in one of Australia's worst ever fires

1990 - Ike Turner is sentenced to four years in prison for possession of cocaine. He was released on parole in September 1991. On January 16th, 1991, while he was still in jail, Ike and his former wife Tina were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1883
Ladies Home Journal magazine begins publishing in U. S. In April 2014, it stopped publication
1937
Dupont Corp patents nylon which was created by one of its employees, Wallace Carothers
1964
The Beatles 2nd appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show broadcast live from a hotel in Miami, Fla,70 mill people tuned in
1984
Bill Johnson became the 1st U. S.man to win gold medal in men's downhill skiing event at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics
2006
the last Mobile Army Surgical Hosptial{MASH} is decommissioned by U. S. Army

February 17th

364 – Roman Emperor Jovian dies after a reign of eight months. He is found dead in his tent at Tyana (Asia Minor) en route back to Constantinople in suspicious circumstances.



1600 – The philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive, for heresy, at Campo de’ Fiori in Rome.


On February 17 1688 James Renwick, the last Covenanter martyr, was executed. He had been declared a rebel after renouncing his allegiance toCharles II in 1680 and declaring him a tyrant and usurper. He was ruthlessly pursued all over Scotland until finally he was caught and hanged.



1874 Conservatives under Disraeli, won their first majority since 1841.




1883Mr. A. Ashwell of Herne Hill, south London, patented Vacant - Engaged signs for toilet doors.



1914Women suffragettes in Britain turned violent. They set fire to the Lawn Tennis Club and broke windows at the residence of the Home Secretary.



1919 – The Ukrainian People’s Republic asks Entente and the US for help fighting the Bolsheviks .




1955Fanny Cradock's first cookery programme Kitchen Magic, was broadcast on television. She mostly worked with her then common-law husband Johnny Cradock, adopting his surname long before they married.
The infamous 'doughnut line' is often attributed to Johnny Cradock - Quote: 'You too can have doughnuts like Fanny's', but it was almost certainly said by a Scottish continuity announcer.




1973: The band Free disband for the second and final time after playing their last show at the Hollywood Sportatorium in Florida. Singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke would form as Bad Company later the same year.





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.

18th February

1793 - The first formal school opens in Australia when Reverend Richard Johnson began teaching the children of marines and convicts.

1885 - Marl Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published.

1930 - Now dubbed as a planetoid - Pluto was discovered.

1988 - Boris Yeltsin is ousted from ruling Communist Party Politburo in Moscow.

2005 - Fox hunting is banned in England

2021 - Facebook blocks users in Australia from accessing news sites in response to new laws for tech companies to pay to show news content

February 18th


1294 Kublai Khan dies in Khanbaliq, present-day Beijing, after suffering from obesity and gout, at the age of 79. The founder of the Yuan dynasty and the grandson of Genghis Khan, Khan was the first Mongol to rule over all of China. But the deaths of his wife and oldest son, as well as failed attempts to conquer Japan, Burma, and Java, weighed on Khan at the end of his life, and he withdrew from his administrative duties before his death.


The Chartist Movement (1838-1848)In the early 19th century, the Chartist movement emerged in Britain as a response to the lack of political representation for the working class. On February 18, 1838, the People’s Charter, the central document of the Chartist movement, was published. This document called for political reforms such as universal suffrage, equal representation, and secret ballots. While the movement did not immediately achieve its goals, it laid the groundwork for later reforms, including the expansion of voting rights in Britain. The Chartists’ activism and protests represented an important chapter in the history of British democracy.



Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" published: On February 18, 1925, Adolf Hitler's autobiographical book "Mein Kampf" was first published in Germany.




1930: American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto near a location predicted by Percival Lowell using photographs taken the previous month. Lowell had speculated that a ninth planet would explain apparent discrepancies in the orbits of the gas giants Uranus and Neptune. Pluto was officially considered the ninth planet until 2006 when it was reclassified as a dwarf planet.


1943: Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels gives his 'total war speech' as the tide of World War II turns against Nazi Germany and her Axis allies.





1949Opportunity Knocks was presented for the first time (on BBC radio) by its creator, Hughie Greene. It later transferred to Radio Luxembourg then went on to become a popular television programme on ITV.





Pink Floyd members fired Syd Barrett from the band and permanently replaced him with David Gilmour. Roger Waters later wrote and dedicated the song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" to the increasingly unstable Barrett, who checked into a psychiatric hospital before going into seclusion.


1980 : Rolling Stone bass player Bill Wyman drops a bombshell during an interview by suggesting he would be leaving the band at their 20th anniversary.

1879
French sculptor, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi receives U. S. patent for his Statue of liberty design
1901
H Cecil Booth patents a dust removing cleaner
1959
1st church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles, Calif
1981
21 yr old Edmonton Oiler, Wayne Gretzky becomes 1st NHL player to score 5 career hat tricks{ 3 goals in one game} before age of 21. He scored 5 goals,2 assists in 9-2 win over St Louis Blues
2001
FBI agent, Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for Russia, he pleads guilty to 15 counts of espionage. He's sentenced to life in prison,dies there in 2003 age 79
2025
The royal tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose II{ 1493-1479 BC} is discovered west of the Valley of the Kings. Its the 1st tomb of a pharaoh found since Tutankhamun in 1923

February 19th




1408The Battle of Bramham Moor in which King Henry IV defeated the rebellious Percy family. The death of Percy removed the threat of rebellion in the North of England and allowed Henry to focus more fully on Wales.




On February 19, 1600, the Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina erupted, creating the most catastrophic volcanic explosion in South America's recorded history. The eruption caused significant climate anomalies and affected the Southern Hemisphere's weather patterns for years.



Fast forward to the 18th century, February 19, 1747, marked a somber and historic event: the execution of Simon Fraser, the 11th Lord Lovat. This moment took place after Lord Lovat’s involvement in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, which sought to restore the Stuart monarchy to the British throne. The rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful, leading to the defeat of the Jacobite forces at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.Lord Lovat, who had initially switched allegiances during the conflict, was captured by the British government.
Despite his attempt to portray himself as a loyal servant of King George II, his past actions during the rebellion led to his arrest and eventual trial for treason.On February 19, Lord Lovat was executed by beheading, a dramatic and symbolic end to a turbulent chapter in British history. His execution served as a warning to other potential Jacobite sympathizers, solidifying the British government’s control over Scotland and the end of the Jacobite cause.



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 Kidwelly 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.



Friday, February 19, 1836. : British Parliament officially proclaims the colony of South Australia and formally defines its boundaries.



1878: Thomas Alva Edison patents his phonograph. Sound is recorded onto a tinfoil sheet wrapped around a revolving cylinder.






On 19th February 1881, Wales played their first ever rugby international, against England at Blackheath’s Richardson’s Field.

The game is noted for its 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,so the final team that took to the pitch consisted of 8 Welshmen, 4 Englishmen, 2 Irishmen and the captain, James Bevan, an Australian.






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 and 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.



1972
Paul McCartney releases "Give Ireland Back to the Irish", his commentary about the Britain-Ireland conflict. The song was immediately banned by the BBC, but the notoriety the song received from the banning only increased its popularity and the record soared into the UK Top 20.

1977

Leo Sayer had his only UK #1 single with "When I Need You". The chorus of the song is identical to part of the Leonard Cohen tune "Famous Blue Raincoat" and after a lawsuit was launched, Cohen received compensation.

1906
Will Kellogg and Charles D. Bolin co founded Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company which later is renamed Kellogg's
1913
the 1st prize inserted in Cracker Jack box were metal charms, puzzles& good luck tokens
1945
U.S. 5th Fleet launches invasion of Iwo Jima against Japanese with 30,000 Marines
1960
Bil Keane's cartoon strip'Family Circus' debuts
1981
George Harrison is ordered to pay ABKCO music $587,7000 for "subconcious plagiarism" of his song' My Sweet Lord' from Ronnie Mack's song' He's So Fine'
2007
blogging site Tumblr founded by David Karp in NYC

February 20th

On 20th February 1247 St David's Cathedral suffered earthquake damage. It is the earliest reference to an earthquake in Wales.


King James I was murdered in Perth, by a group led by Sir Robert Graham, today in 1437.Had it not been for his love of tennis James would have escaped his assassins. Fleeing his killers, he hid in the drain under his tennis court, however this offered no means of escape for the monarch, as he had only recently ordered it to be blocked after losing balls in it.




1472Orkney and Shetland were pawned by Norway to Scotland in lieu of a dowry for Princess Margaret, daughter of Christian I, the King of Norway and Denmark. As the wife of King James III of Scotland she was the Queen Consort and the mother of the future King James IV of Scotland.



1547Edward VI, aged 9 years old, was crowned at Westminster Abbey. Edward, the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant.




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.



1962: American astronaut John Glenn becomes the first US-astronaut to orbit the Earth when his Mercury spacecraft Friendship 7 completes three orbits in 4 hours and 55 minutes.



Britain's first Post Bus service was introduced on 20th February 1967. It ran between Llanidloes and Llangurig. 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.

….20 Feb 1963
The Beatles drove through the night from Liverpool to London to appear on the live lunchtime BBC radio program "Parade of the Pops." Performing ' Love Me Do ' and 'Please Please Me', the appearance lasted just over 4 minutes. They then drove another 180 mile trip back north for their performance that night at the Swimming Baths, Doncaster, Yorkshire.

20 Feb 1959
16 year old Jimi Hendrix made his stage debut when he played a show at the Temple De Hirsch Sinai synagogue in Seattle

February 21st







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Strata Florida Abbey (Abaty Ystrad Fflur) is a former Cistercian abbey situated near Pontrhydfendigaid, near Tregaron was dissolved on 21st February 1539
It was originally founded on the banks of the Afon Fflur, a short distance from the present site. by a group of Cistercian monks from Whitland Abbey.

It is considered that the present Abbey was founded around 1164 A.D, by The Lord Rhys, who because of pressure from the Normans, transferred his patronage from St Davids to Strata Florida and it is why many of his descendants were buried there.

In 1184, after its foundation, Strata Florida increased in power and authority and its influence was felt throughout Wales. It is believed that the Brut y Tywysogion, the most important primary historical source for early Welsh history, was compiled at Strata Florida.

Around 1238, Prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great), held a council at Strata Florida, at which he made the other Welsh Princes swear that they would acknowledge his son Dafydd as his rightful successor.

In 1401, Strata Florida Abbey was the military base of King Henry IV and his son, later to become Henry V, during the early years of the uprising of Owain Glyndwr.

Strata Florida was dissolved as a result of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.
Strata Florida became a place of pilgrimage for wealthy Victorians in the late 19th century.

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1613 – Mikhail I is unanimously elected Tsar by a national assembly, beginning the Romanov dynasty of Imperial Russia.



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On this day in 1804, the world’s 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 fellow iron master, 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.


…..Today in 1842 the first intercity railway between Glasgow and Edinburgh was opened by Queen Victoria. The Scottish rail system was linked to the English network in 1848.


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On February 21, 1946, the British government made a momentous announcement about its intention to withdraw from India, signaling the beginning of the end of British colonial rule in the subcontinent. This decision followed increasing pressure from Indian nationalist movements, led by figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who advocated for independence.
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1988The grave of Boadicea, the warrior queen who fought the Romans in Britain nearly 2,000 years ago, was located by archaeologists under Platform 8 at King’s Cross railway station.


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1961
The Beatles played three gigs in one day. The first was a lunchtime show at The Cavern Club, then at night they appeared at the Casanova Club in Liverpool and at Litherland Town Hall.
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1964: The Rolling Stones release "Not Fade Away" destined to become the first record to be played on Radio Caroline a few weeks later