…. 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.
…. 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.
…… 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. …..
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.
…. 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. …
1964: The Rolling Stones release "Not Fade Away" destined to become the first record to be played on Radio Caroline a few weeks later
