1790: At a meeting of ironmasters at the Cardiff Arms Inn the contract for the canal from Merthyr to Cardiff was given to Thomas Dadford & Son (canal builders) and Thomas Sheasby (engineer). As the canal fell some 600ft along its 25-mile route, fifty-one locks would be needed. An expenditure of £60,000 was authorised for the work. (John Richards, Cardiff: A Maritime History, The History Press, 2005)
1852: The John Brown, the first iron-screw collier, was launched at the Palmer Brothers’ yard in Jarrow. These ships were to transform the coal trade out of Cardiff. They were longer, cheaper to build and could carry more coal than traditional wooden boats. Five years later the William Cory, built on the River Tyne and capable of carrying 1,500 tons, started regular trips to London. The Cory partnership also owned the Deep Duffryn Colliery at Mountain Ash. (John Richards, Cardiff: A Maritime History, The History Press, 2005)
1969: One day before the Investiture of the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon, a bomb left by dissident Welsh nationalists exploded at the Sorting Office at Victoria Park, Cardiff. No one was hurt. (Western Mail)