This article is about the particular significance of the year 1940 to

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and its people.

Incumbents

* Archbishop of Wales – Charles Green, Bishop of Bangor * Archdruid of the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

– Crwys

Events

21 January Events Pre-1600 * 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa. *1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Conra ...

- Lowest ever temperature recorded in Wales, -23.3 °C (-9.9 °F) at

Rhayader Rhayader (; cy, Rhaeadr Gwy; ) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, within the historic county of Radnorshire. The town is from the source of the River Wye on Plynlimon, the highest point of the Cambrian Mountains, and is locate ...

. *

27 January Events Pre-1600 * 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent. * 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to becom ...

- A freak

ice storm An ice storm, also known as a glaze event or a silver storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least of ice on ex ...

across the UK brings down telephone and electricity lines in many parts of Wales. *

3 March Events Pre-1600 * 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Emperor Shōmu, Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japa ...

- The steamer ''Cato'' is damaged by a mine off Nash Point and 13 of the crew are killed. *March - The

scenic railway Scenic railroad (American English) or Scenic railway (British English) may refer to: *Heritage railways operating leisurely train tours of sights such as mountain scenery, historic areas, and foliage tours *Scenic gravity railroad, early terminol ...

opens at

Barry Island Pleasure Park Barry Island Pleasure Park is an amusement park situated on the coast at Barry Island in the Vale of Glamorgan, about south west of the capital city Cardiff, Wales. The park opened annually at weekends from Easter onwards and daily during the sc ...

. *May **The newly created

Coalition Government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

includes

Hugh Dalton Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton, (16 August 1887 – 13 February 1962) was a British Labour Party economist and politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947. He shaped Labour Party foreign policy in the 1 ...

Minister of Economic Warfare The Minister of Economic Warfare was a British government position which existed during the Second World War. The minister was in charge of the Special Operations Executive and the Ministry of Economic Warfare. See also * Blockade of Germany (193 ...

. ** Alun Lewis enlists. *

8 May Events Pre-1600 * 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin. * 413 – Emperor Honorius signs ...

- Three Nazi German

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

Heinkel 111s crash in separate incidents over Wales: one near

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

, one at Malpas in

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

, and one at

Bagillt Bagillt (; ) is a market town and community in Flintshire, Wales. The town overlooks the Dee Estuary and is between the towns of Holywell and Flint. At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 3,918, increasing to 4,165 at the 2011 census. ...

, Flint. In all nine crew are killed and four captured. *

3 July Events Pre-1600 * 324 – Battle of Adrianople (324), Battle of Adrianople: Constantine the Great, Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. * 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynas ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

is bombed for the first time. *

9 July Events Pre-1600 *118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome. * 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodosi ...

- Cardiff suffers its first bombing fatalities. *

10 July Events Pre-1600 * 138 – Emperor Hadrian of Rome dies of heart failure at his residence on the bay of Naples, Baiae; he is buried at Rome in the Tomb of Hadrian beside his late wife, Vibia Sabina. * 645 – Isshi Incident: Prince ...

- Ten people are killed in an air raid on

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

Docks, as shipping convoys become a target. *

11 July Events Pre-1600 * 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter's Basilica and put to death. * 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abdi ...

- Communist minister and poet

Thomas Evan Nicholas Thomas Evan Nicholas (6 October 1879 – 19 April 1971), who used the bardic name Niclas y Glais ( en, 'Nicholas of Glais'), was a Welsh language poet, preacher, radical, and champion of the disadvantaged of society. Early life Nicholas was ...

("Niclas y Glais") and his son are arrested and interned for "endeavouring to impede recruitment to HM Forces". Nicholas is eventually released on 20 October. *

11 August Events Pre-1600 * 3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya, begins. * 2492 BC – Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and found ...

- Seventeen people are killed in an air raid on Manselton, Swansea. *

14 August Events Pre-1600 * 74 BC – A group of officials, led by the Western Han minister Huo Guang, present articles of impeachment against the new emperor, Liu He, to the imperial regent, Empress Dowager Shangguan. The articles, enumerating t ...

- Three German Heinkel 111s are shot down during an air-raid on

, and another over North Wales after a raid on

RAF Hawarden The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

. *

22 August Events Pre-1600 * 392 – Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. * 851 – Battle of Jengland: Erispoe defeats Charles the Bald near the Breton town of Jengland. *1138 – Battle of the Standard between Scotland ...

- A steamer, the ''Thorold'', is sunk by German aircraft off the Skerries. Ten crew are killed. *

2 September Events Pre-1600 *44 BC – Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. * 44 BC – Cicero launches the first of his ''Philippicae'' (oratorical attacks) on Mark Antony. He will make 14 of them ...

- 33 people are killed in an air raid on Swansea. *

3 September Events Pre-1600 *36 BC – In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompey, son of Pompey, thus ending Pompeian resistance to the Second Triumvirate. * 301 – San Marino, one of the s ...

- Eleven people are killed in an air raid on Cardiff. *

4 September Events Pre-1600 * 476 – Romulus Augustulus is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself "King of Italy", thus ending the Western Roman Empire. * 626 – Li Shimin, posthumously known as Emperor Taizong of Tang, assumes the throne over ...

- A German Junkers 88 crashes near Machynlleth. Four crew and a

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

officer are captured. *

13 September Events Pre-1600 *585 BC – Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victories over the Sabines, and the surrender of Collatia. *509 BC – The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on Rome's Capitoline Hill ...

- A German Heinkel 111 crashes into a house in

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

, Monmouthshire. *

22 November Events Pre-1600 * 498 – After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Palace, while Laurentius is elected Pope in Santa Maria Maggiore. * 845 – The first duke of Brittany, Nominoe, defeats the Fra ...

- The steamer ''Pikepool'' is damaged by a mine off

Linney Head Linney is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Caitlin Linney, American trance vocalist and singer-songwriter * Dave Linney (born 1961), English footballer * George Linney (1869–1927), English-born Australian cricketer, ...

, Pembrokeshire, with the loss of 17 crew. *The

Urdd Urdd Gobaith Cymru () (known as the Urdd) is a national voluntary youth organisation, which claimed over 56,000 members in 2019 aged between 8 and 25 years old. It provides opportunities for children and young people across Wales to take part ...

changes its policy to include 16- to 25-year-olds. * Gwilym Williams becomes chaplain of

St David's College, Lampeter University of Wales, Lampeter ( cy, Prifysgol Cymru, Llanbedr Pont Steffan) was a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822, and incorporated by royal charter in 1828, it was the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales, with limited ...

. *

Percy Cudlipp Percy Cudlipp (10 November 1905 – 5 November 1962), was a prominent Welsh journalist. Biography Percy Cudlipp was born at 180 Arabella Street, Cardiff, the son of a travelling salesman, and was the brother of Hugh Cudlipp (later Baron Cudlip ...

becomes editor of the ''

Daily Herald Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

''. *

Alun Talfan Davies Sir Alun Talfan Davies (22 July 1913 – 11 November 2000) was a Welsh judge, publisher and Liberal politician. Background Alun Talfan Davies was born at Gorseinon near Swansea, the youngest son of the Calvinistic Methodist minister William Talf ...

and his brother Aneirin found the publishing house Llyfrau'r Dryw.

Arts and literature

Lewis Casson Sir Lewis Thomas Casson MC (26 October 187516 May 1969) was an English actor and theatre director, and the husband of actress Dame Sybil Thorndike.Devlin, DianaCasson, Sir Lewis Thomas (1875–1969) ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biograph ...

directs John Gielgud in ''King Lear''.

Awards

*National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Bangor (radio)) *National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - ''withheld'' *National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown -

T. Rowland Hughes Thomas Rowland Hughes (often referred to as T. Rowland Hughes) (17 April 1903 – 24 October 1949), was a Welsh people, Welsh broadcaster, novelist, dramatist and poet. He was the son of a quarryman from Llanberis, Caernarvonshire (Gwynedd today), ...

*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - ''withheld''

New books

* Richard Bennett - ''Cyfrol Goffa Richard Bennett'' * Clara Novello Davies - ''The Life I Have Loved'' * David Delta Edwards - ''Rhedeg ar ôl y Cysgodion'' *

John Cowper Powys John Cowper Powys (; 8 October 187217 June 1963) was an English philosopher, lecturer, novelist, critic and poet born in Shirley, Derbyshire, where his father was vicar of the parish church in 1871–1879. Powys appeared with a volume of verse ...

- '' Owen Glendower'' (U.S. publication) * Howard Spring - '' Fame is the Spur'' *

Ransom Riggs Ransom Riggs (born February 3, 1979) is an American writer and filmmaker best known for the book ''Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children''. Early life and education Riggs was born in Maryland in 1979 on a 200-year-old farm, and grew up in ...

- ''

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children ''Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'' is a contemporary fantasy debut novel by American author Ransom Riggs. The story is told through a combination of narrative and a mix of vernacular and found photography from the personal archives ...

'' (published 2011; partially set in Wales, 1940)

Music

Mai Jones Mai Jones (6 February 1899 – 7 May 1960), was a Welsh songwriter, entertainer and radio producer. Biography Jones was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, the daughter of the local railway stationmaster. Having won a scholarship to study music ...

& Lyn Joshua - "We'll Keep a Welcome" (performed for the first time in the forces' variety show, '' Welsh Rarebit'' on

29 February February 29, also known as leap day or leap year day, is a date added to leap years. A leap day is added in various solar calendars (calendars based on the Earth's revolution around the Sun), including the Gregorian calendar standard in mo ...

) * Grace Williams - ''

Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes The ''Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes'' is a composition for symphonic orchestra, based on traditional Welsh nursery tunes and lullabies, composed by Grace Williams in 1940. Although not typical of Williams' work it brought her to prominence an ...

'' (score dated

9 February Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Zeno (emperor), Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. *1003 – Boleslaus III, Duke of Bohemia, Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Greater ...

)

Film

March 25 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Italian city Venice is founded with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo di Rialto on the islet of Rialto. * 708 – Pope Constantine becomes the 88th pope. He would be the last pope to vi ...

- Plaza Cinema opens in Port Talbot. * April 6 - Paul Robeson and Rachel Thomas star in ''

The Proud Valley ''The Proud Valley'' is a 1940 Ealing Studios film starring Paul Robeson. Filmed in the South Wales coalfield, the principal Welsh coal mining area, the film is about a seaman who joins a mining community. It includes their passion for singing a ...

'' (cinematic release)

Broadcasting

25 February Events Pre-1600 * 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor. * 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II. ...

- ''The Proud Valley'' is the first film to have its première on

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

, when the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

broadcasts a 60-minute version. *May - The BBC Radio Variety Department relocates to Bangor because of wartime disruption; it will broadcast from here until August 1943. *August - The

is broadcast on the British Home Service, including 15 minutes each for the crown and chair ceremonies.

Sport

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

13 April Events Pre-1600 *1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. * 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire. 1601–1900 *1612 – In one of the epic samurai ...

- Wales defeat England 1 - 0. *

Quoits Quoits ( or ) is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike (sometimes called a hob, mott or pin). The game of quoits encompasses several distinct vari ...

- Jack Price wins the Welsh championship for the third time.

Births

4 January Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. 1601–1900 *1649 – Engli ...

- Brian Josephson, theoretical physicist *

17 January Events Pre-1600 *38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. * 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on ...

- Leighton Rees, darts champion (died

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

) *

23 January Events Pre-1600 * 393 – Roman emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor. * 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao. *1264 &ndas ...

Ted Rowlands Edward Rowlands, Baron Rowlands (born 23 January 1940) is a Welsh politician, who served as a Labour Party (UK), Labour Party Member of Parliament for over thirty years, including a period as a junior minister in the 1960s and 1970s. Educatio ...

, politician *

1 March Events Pre-1600 *509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocletian and ...

David Broome David McPherson Broome (born 1 March 1940) is a retired Welsh show jumping champion. He competed in the 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1988 Olympics and won individual bronze medals in 1960 on Sunsalve and in 1968 on his best-known horse ''Mr Sof ...

, show jumping champion *

16 May Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. * 1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. *136 ...

Sir Gareth Roberts Sir Gareth Gwyn Roberts (16 May 1940 – 6 February 2007) was a Welsh physicist specialising in semiconductors and molecular electronics, who was influential in British science policy through his chairmanship of several academic bodies and his ...

, physicist (died

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

) *

7 June Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Emperor Theodosius II marries Aelia Eudocia at Constantinople (Byzantine Empire). * 879 – Pope John VIII recognizes the Duchy of Croatia under Duke Branimir as an independent state. *1002 – Henry II ...

- Tom Jones, singer *

29 June Events Pre-1600 * 226 – Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei. * 1149 – Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi. * 1194 – Sverre is crowned King of Norway ...

- John Dawes, rugby player (died

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

) *

17 July Events Pre-1600 * 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world. * 1048 – Damasu ...

C. W. Nicol Clive William Nicol, MBE (; 17 July 1940 – 3 April 2020) was a British-born Japanese writer. He was a long-time resident and citizen of Japan. Early life Nicol was born in Neath, Wales. He graduated from Tokyo University of Science. ...

, Japanese writer and environmentalist (died

2020 in Japan 2020 in Japan was largely defined by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the country, in addition to various other historical events such as the end of the Shinzo Abe Era and the economic recession resulting from the pandemic. Incumben ...

) *

- Eduardo Hughes Galeano, Uruguayan writer of Welsh descent *

20 September Events Pre-1600 * 1058 – Agnes of Poitou and Andrew I of Hungary meet to negotiate about the border territory of Burgenland. *1066 – At the Battle of Fulford, Harald Hardrada defeats earls Morcar and Edwin. * 1187 – Saladin ...

Anna Pavord Anna Pavord (born 20 September 1940) ''People of Today'' (2017) Debrett's, "Anna Pavord" is a British horticultural writer. She wrote for ''The Observer'' for over twenty years and for ''The independent'' for over thirty years - from its first to ...

, gardening writer *

1 October Events Pre-1600 *331 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. * 366 – Pope Damasus I is consecrated. * 959 – Edgar the Peaceful becomes king of all England, in succession to Eadwig. * ...

Atarah Ben-Tovim Atarah Ben-Tovim, MBE (1 October 1940 – 20 October 2022) was a British flautist and children's concert presenter. Biography Ben-Tovim was born in Abergavenny, Wales, the daughter of Harry Ben-Tovim, a doctor, and his wife Gladys Rachel ( ...

, flautist and children's concert promoter (died

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

) *

14 October Events Pre-1600 *1066 – The Norman Conquest, Norman conquest of England begins with the Battle of Hastings. *1322 – Robert the Bruce, Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at the Battle of Old Byland, forc ...

- Christopher Timothy, actor *

31 October Events Pre-1600 * 475 – Romulus Augustulus is proclaimed Western Roman Emperor. * 683 – During the Siege of Mecca, the Kaaba catches fire and is burned down. * 802 – Empress Irene is deposed and banished to Lesbos. Conspir ...

- Eric Griffiths, skiffle guitarist with The Quarrymen (died

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

) *

4 November Events Pre-1600 *1429 – Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War: Joan of Arc liberates Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier. *1493 – Christopher Columbus reaches Leeward Island and Puerto Rico. *1501 – Catherine of Aragon (later Henry VIII's ...

- Daniel Sperber,

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

ic scholar *

30 November Events Pre-1600 * 978 – Franco-German war of 978–980: Holy Roman Emperor Otto II lifts the siege of Paris and withdraws. 1601–1900 * 1707 – Queen Anne's War: The second Siege of Pensacola comes to end with the failure of the Br ...

Peter Shreeves Peter Shreeves (born 30 November 1940) is a Welsh former football player, manager and coach. Career Shreeves was born in Neath in South Wales where his mother had been evacuated to during the early stages of World War II, but was brought up i ...

, footballer, coach and manager *

5 December Events Pre-1600 *63 BC – Cicero gives the fourth and final of the Catiline Orations. * 633 – Fourth Council of Toledo opens, presided over by Isidore of Seville. * 1033 – The Jordan Rift Valley earthquake destroys multiple ...

** Michael Jones, medieval historian **"Exotic" Adrian Street, professional wrestler (died

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

) *

24 December Events Pre-1600 * 502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate. * 640 – Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death. * 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, wher ...

- John Marek, politician *''date unknown'' ** Donald Evans, Welsh-language poet **

Keith Miles Keith Miles (born 1940) is a Welsh writer of historical fiction and mystery novels. He has also written children's books, radio and television dramas and stage plays. He is best known under the pseudonym Edward Marston, and has also written as M ...

, detective novelist and screenwriter

Deaths

12 February Events Pre-1600 *1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sophie performed the first post-mortem autopsy for the purposes of teaching and demonstration at the Heiligen–Geist Spital in Vienna. *1429 – English forces under S ...

William Edwards William Edwards may refer to: Arts and entertainment *William Edwards (architect) (1719–1789), Welsh architect of the Pontypridd bridge in south Wales *William Camden Edwards (1777–1855), Welsh engraver *William Augustus Edwards (1866–1939), ...

, educationist, 89 *

21 February Events Pre-1600 * 452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine. *1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery. * 1440 – The Prus ...

- Sir Alfred Edward Lewis, banker, 71 *

15 March Events Pre-1600 * 474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce. *44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place. * 493 – Odoa ...

- John Davies, author, 71 *

20 March Events Pre-1600 * 673 – Emperor Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka. * 1206 – Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. *1600 – The Linkö ...

- William Thomas Edwards (Gwilym Deudraeth), poet *

7 April Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town. * 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Emp ...

Ernest Rowland Ernest Melville Rowlands (21 September 1864 – 7 April 1940) was a Welsh international rugby union player who played rugby for St David's College, Lampeter, and international rugby for Wales. Personal life Rowland was born in Neath, 1864 t ...

, priest and Wales international rugby player, 75 *

27 April Events Pre-1600 * 247 – Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome with a celebration of the ''ludi saeculares''. * 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one o ...

Fred Cornish Frederick Henry Cornish (1876 – 27 April 1940) was an English-born rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Cornish 'Went North' in 1899 switching to rugby league, joining Hull F.C.Jenkins (1991) ...

, Wales international rugby player *

23 May Events Pre-1600 *1430 – Joan of Arc is captured at the Siege of Compiègne by troops from the Burgundian faction. *1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy. *1533 – The marriage of King Henry VIII ...

- Hugh Hesketh Hughes, polo player, 37 (killed in action) *

4 June Events Pre-1600 *1411 – King Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening of Roquefort cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries. *1561 – The steeple of St Paul's, the medieval cathedra ...

- Owen Picton Davies, businessman and politician, 68 *

25 June Events Pre-1600 * 524 – The Franks are defeated by the Burgundians in the Battle of Vézeronce. * 841 – In the Battle of Fontenay-en-Puisaye, forces led by Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeat the armies of Lothair I of ...

- Stanley Winmill, Wales international rugby union player, 51 *

George Bevan Bowen Sir George Bevan Bowen (1858 – 3 July 1940) was a Welsh Conservative landowner and county officer in Pembrokeshire. He was the son of James Bevan Bowen, a former Tory member of parliament, and was educated at Cheltenham College and Magdale ...

, landowner, 82 *

8 August Events Pre-1600 * 685 BC – Spring and Autumn period: Battle of Qianshi: Upon the death of the previous Duke of Qi, Gongsun Wuzhi, Duke Zhuang of Lu sends an army into the Duchy of Qi to install the exiled Qi prince Gongzi Jiu as the ...

Daniel Lleufer Thomas Sir Daniel Lleufer Thomas (29 August 1863 – 8 August 1940) was a Welsh magistrate, social reformer, and writer. Thomas was born on 29 August 1863 at Llethr Enoch, Cwm-du, Talley, the third child of William and Esther Thomas, at Llethr Enoch, Cw ...

, lawyer and biographer, 76 *

20 August Events Pre-1600 *AD 14 – Agrippa Postumus, maternal grandson of the late Roman emperor Augustus, is mysteriously executed by his guards while in exile. * 636 – Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control ...

- Henry Maldwyn Hughes, Wesleyan minister *

26 September Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar dedicates a temple to Venus Genetrix, fulfilling a vow he made at the Battle of Pharsalus. * 715 – Ragenfrid defeats Theudoald at the Battle of Compiègne. * 1087 – William II is crow ...

W. H. Davies William Henry Davies (3 July 1871 – 26 September 1940) was a Welsh poet and writer, who spent much of his life as a tramp or hobo in the United Kingdom and the United States, yet became one of the most popular poets of his time. His themes inc ...

, poet and author, 69 *

9 October Events Pre-1600 * 768 – Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned kings of the Franks. *1238 – James I of Aragon founds the Kingdom of Valencia. *1410 – The first known mention of the Prague astronomical clock. * 1446 – T ...

- Sir Wilfred Grenfell, medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador *

9 November Events Pre-1600 * 694 – At the Seventeenth Council of Toledo, Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims, sentencing all Jews to slavery. *1277 – The Treaty of Aberconwy, a humiliating settlement ...

- Gwilym Owen, physicist *

15 December Events Pre-1600 * 533 – Vandalic War: Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Tricamarum. * 687 – Pope Sergius I is elected as a compromise between antipopes Paschal and Theod ...

** Robert Thomas Jones, quarrymen's leader, 66 **

Sir David Richard Llewellyn, 1st Baronet Sir David Richard Llewellyn, 1st Baronet (9 March 1879 – 15 December 1940) was a Welsh industrialist and financier. He was born in Aberdare, South Wales, the son of Alderman Rees Llewellyn, JP and educated at Llandovery College and Cardiff Uni ...

, industrialist

References

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1940 in Europe 1940s in Wales