1169'The First Conquerors' landed in Ireland. They were Normans from Wales enlisted by Dermot MacMurrough to recover his kingdom of Leinster.
1797A cartoon by Gilray was published which gave the Bank of England its nickname, 'The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street.'
On 23rd May 1832, The Festiniog Railway Company was set up by Act of Parliament. It is the world's oldest surviving public railway company.
Originally built to serve the slate industry of Blaenau Ffestiniog, the line was initially operated by gravity, kept under control by brakesmen who leapt from wagon to wagon tightening or loosening the brakes while their colleague on the front wagon blew the horn to warn of its approach. Steam locomotives were introduced in the 1860s.
1934: The legendary American bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are ambushed by police and killed in Black Lake, Louisiana.
During the evening of 23rd May 1970, the Britannia Bridge spanning the Menai Strait was destroyed by a fire. As a result, the bridge had to be completely rebuilt. The Britannia Bridge was originally designed and built by Robert Stephenson in 1850, a tubular bridge of iron box-sections; at the time, at 1,511 feet, it was the longest bridge of that type in the world. It was needed to accommodate the increasing popularity of rail travel between London and Holyhead.
On 23rd May 1995, Caradog 'Crag' Jones, from Pontrhydfendigaid, near Tregaron, became the first Welshman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Music1964: Jazz great Ella Fitzgerald becomes the first artist to have a hit with a Beatles cover when 'Can't Buy Me Love' enters the UK chart.
1982: The Central London Branch of the Musicians Union pass a motion to ban synthesizers and drum rhythm machines from sessions and live concerts fearing that their use would put musicians out of work. But it never becomes official policy of the Union.
