This article is about the particular significance of the year 1979 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

* Secretary of State for Wales – John Morris (until 5 May);

Nicholas Edwards Roger Nicholas Edwards, Baron Crickhowell, PC (25 February 1934 – 17 March 2018) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as an MP from 1970 until 1987 and as Secretary of State for Wales during the first two terms of the Th ...

* Archbishop of Wales – Gwilym Williams, 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 ...

–

Geraint Geraint () is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, a valiant warrior possibly related to the historical Geraint, an early 8th-century king of Dumnonia. It is also the name of a 6th-century Dumnonian saint king from Briton hagi ...

Events

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 ...

- The

devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...

referendum rejects the

Wales Act 1978 The Wales Act 1978 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to introduce a limited measure of self-government in Wales through the creation of a Welsh Assembly. The act never took effect as a result of the "no" vote in 1979 ...

(which would have established a Welsh Assembly) by four to one. The Parliamentary Select Committee on Welsh Affairs is subsequently established. *

18 May Events Pre-1600 * 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople. * 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of ...

Annie Powell Annie Powell (1906–1986) was a Welsh Communist politician. Born in Rhondda and educated at Pentre Higher Grade School, Powell became interested in politics while at Glamorgan Training College, Barry, in the 1920s. It was while undertaking ta ...

of Rhondda becomes Britain's first Communist mayor. *

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 ...

- In the elections for the European Parliament,

Ann Clwyd Ann Clwyd Roberts (; born 21 March 1937) is a Welsh Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Cynon Valley for 35 years, from 1984 until 2019. Although she had intended to stand down in 2015, she was re-elected in tha ...

and Win Griffiths are among the newly elected MEPs. Plaid Cymru win no seats. *

8 June Events Pre-1600 * 218 – Battle of Antioch: With the support of the Syrian legions, Elagabalus defeats the forces of emperor Macrinus. * 452 – Attila leads a Hun army in the invasion of Italy, devastating the northern provinces ...

- A Cessna aircraft crashes into a mountain in Snowdonia, killing all six occupants. *

12 December Events Pre-1600 * 627 – Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh. *1388 – Maria of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia ...

- Four holiday homes in rural Wales are the target of

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

attacks by Welsh Nationalist political activists.

Arts and literature

Awards

* Michael Bogdanov is named "Director of the Year" for the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

production of '' The Taming of the Shrew''. *National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Caernarfon) **National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - ''withheld'' **National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Meirion Evans **National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal -

Robyn Lewis Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 t ...

New books

English language

* Gillian Clarke - ''The Sundial'' * Wendy Davies - ''The Llandaff Charters'' * Christopher Evans - ''The Mighty Micro'' * Emyr Humphreys - ''The Best of Friends'' * Sian James - ''A Small Country'' * Tristan Jones - ''The Incredible Voyage'' * Anna Kashfi - ''Brando for Breakfast'' *

Leslie Norris George Leslie Norris (21 May 1921 – 6 April 2006), was a prize-winning Welsh poet and short story writer. He taught at academic institutions in Britain and the United States, including Brigham Young University. Norris is considered one of ...

- ''Sliding'' *

Gwyn Alf Williams Gwyn Alfred "Alf" Williams (30 September 1925 – 16 November 1995) was a Welsh historian particularly known for his work on Antonio Gramsci and Francisco Goya as well as on Welsh history. Life Williams was born in the iron town of Dowlais ...

- ''The Merthyr Rising'' * Raymond Williams - ''The Fight for Manod''

Welsh language

Pennar Davies William Thomas Pennar Davies (12 November 1911 – 29 December 1996) was a Welsh clergyman and author. Born William Thomas Davies, in Mountain Ash, the son of a miner, he took the name "Pennar" (a stream in Mountain Ash and the root of its Welsh n ...

- ''Mabinogi Mwys'' * Marion Eames - ''I Hela Cnau'' *

Dic Jones Dic Jones (30 March 1934 – 18 August 2009), was a Welsh-language poet and Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Career Jones was born Richard Lewis Jones at Tre'r-ddôl in Ceredigion. The son of a farmer, he himself farmed at Fferm ...

- ''Storom Awst'' * John Rowlands - ''Tician, Tician''

Music

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

- '' Repeat When Necessary'' (album) * Bonnie Tyler - ''Diamond Cut'' (album)

Film

* Rachel Roberts wins the BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in '' Yanks''. * Emlyn Williams' play, '' The Corn is Green'', is filmed for the second time, starring

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

. *A full-scale model of the fictional starship '' Millennium Falcon'' is constructed by Marcon Fabrications in the Western

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

Flying Boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

hangar at

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock ( cy, Doc Penfro) is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following ...

for the film '' The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980).

Broadcasting

* BBC Radio Cymru is launched. *New Home Secretary William Whitelaw rejects the idea of a Welsh fourth channel on behalf of the Conservative government.

English-language television

* Colin Jeavons stars in Dennis Potter's classic play, ''

Blue Remembered Hills "Blue Remembered Hills" is the 14th episode of ninth season of the British BBC anthology TV series '' Play for Today''. The episode was a television play that was originally broadcast on 30 January 1979. "Blue Remembered Hills" was written by De ...

''.

Sport

* BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Terry Griffiths * Boxing - Pat Thomas wins the British Light-middleweight title * Rugby union - Wales win the Five Nations Championship and take the Triple Crown. *

Snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...

- Terry Griffiths wins the World Championship in his first year as a professional.

Births

15 February Events Pre-1600 * 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus * 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia. * 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberios ...

–

Josh Low Joshua David Low (born 15 February 1979) is a retired professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in England, he represented the Wales U21 national team internationally. Career After spells at Bristol Rovers, Farnborough Town and ...

, footballer *

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 ...

–

Laura Anne Jones Laura Anne Jones (born 21 February 1979) is a Conservative politician who has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for the South Wales East electoral region since July 2020, having previously held the same seat as an Assembly Member (AM) in the Nat ...

AM, politician * 26 February – Steve Evans, footballer *

15 April Events Pre-1600 * 769 – The Lateran Council ends by condemning the Council of Hieria and anathematizing its iconoclastic rulings. *1071 – Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to Robert Guiscard. ...

- Luke Evans, actor *

17 May Events Pre-1600 *1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army. * 1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason. * 1527 – Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explore Flo ...

– Michaela Breeze, weightlifting champion *

3 June Events Pre-1600 * 350 – The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators. * 713 – The Byzantine emperor Philippicus is blinded, depose ...

–

Christian Malcolm Christian Sean Malcolm (born 3 June 1979) is a retired Welsh track and field athlete who specialised in the 200 metres. In 2020 he was appointed Head Coach of the British Athletics Olympic Programme. Early life Malcolm was born and was brought ...

, athlete * 13 July – Craig Bellamy, footballer *

1 August Events Pre-1600 * 30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic. *AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under ...

- Honeysuckle Weeks, actress *

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 ...

– Danny Gabbidon, footballer *

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician ** ''Jonathan Edwards'' (album), debut album ...

, poet

Deaths

*January – Dilys Cadwaladr, poet, 76 *

7 February Events Pre-1600 * 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor. * 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II. *1301 &ndash ...

– Charles Tunnicliffe, painter on Anglesey, 77 *

13 February Events Pre-1600 * 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome. *1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th. *1462 – The ...

–

Eric Newton Griffith-Jones Sir Eric Newton Griffith-Jones KBE CMG QC (1 November 1913 – 13 February 1979) was a British lawyer and administrator who served as Attorney General of Kenya between 1955 and 1961.Nicholas J. White, British Business in Post-Colonial Malaysia, ...

, Welsh-descended lawyer, 65 *

13 March Events Pre-1600 *624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh. *1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War. *1591 – At the Battle of Tond ...

– Tudor Owen, actor, 81 *

(in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

) – Eiluned Lewis, novelist, 78 * 14 May – Jean Rhys, novelist, 88 *

9 June Events Pre-1600 *411 BC – The Athenian coup succeeds, forming a short-lived oligarchy. * 53 – The Roman emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia. * 68 – Nero dies by suicide after quoting Vergil's ''Aeneid'', thus ending the Ju ...

– John Morris, Baron Morris of Borth-y-Gest, judge, 82 *

16 July Events Pre-1600 * 622 – The beginning of the Islamic calendar. * 997 – Battle of Spercheios: Bulgarian forces of Tsar Samuel are defeated by a Byzantine army under general Nikephoros Ouranos at the Spercheios River in Greece. *1054 ...

– Harold Finch, politician, 81 *

30 August Events Pre-1600 * 70 – Titus ends the siege of Jerusalem after destroying Herod's Temple. *1282 – Peter III of Aragon lands at Trapani to intervene in the War of the Sicilian Vespers. *1363 – The five-week Battle of Lake Po ...

–

C. E. Wynn-Williams Charles Eryl Wynn-Williams (5 March 1903 – 30 August 1979), was a Welsh physicist, noted for his research on electronic instrumentation for use in nuclear physics. His work on the scale-of-two counter contributed to the development of the moder ...

, physicist, 76 *

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 ...

–

Ewan Davies David Evans George "Ewan" Davies (23 June 1887 – 2 September 1979) was a Welsh international rugby union wing who won two caps for the Wales national rugby union team. He played club rugby for Cardiff RFC and London Welsh RFC and county rugb ...

, rugby player, 92 *

10 October Events Pre-1600 * 680 – The Battle of Karbala marks the Martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali. * 732 – Charles Martel's forces defeat an Umayyad army near Tours, France. * 1471 – Sten Sture the Elder, the Regent of Sweden, with the ...

(in Teddington) – Christopher Evans, computer scientist, 48 *

12 October Events Pre-1600 *539 BC – The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon, ending the Babylonian empire. ( Julian calendar) * 633 – Battle of Hatfield Chase: King Edwin of Northumbria is defeated and killed by an alliance u ...

– Jackie Williams, footballer, 76 *November – Ursula Williams, politician, 83 *

–

Goronwy Rees Goronwy Rees (29 November 1909 – 12 December 1979) was a Welsh journalist, academic and writer. Background Rees was born in Aberystwyth, where his father was minister of the Tabernacle Calvinistic Methodist Church. The family later moved to ...

, writer, 70? *

20 December Events Pre-1600 *AD 69 – Antonius Primus enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor for Nero's former general Vespasian. *1192 – Richard I of England is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England af ...

–

Leslie Gilbert Illingworth Leslie Gilbert Illingworth (2 September 1902 – 20 December 1979) was a Welsh political cartoonist best known for his work for the ''Daily Mail'' and for becoming the chief cartoonist at the British satirical periodical ''Punch''. Early histor ...

, political cartoonist, 77 *

21 December Events Pre-1600 *AD 69 – The Roman Senate declares Vespasian emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors. *1124 – Pope Honorius II is consecrated, having been elected after the controversial dethroning of Pope Celes ...

– Nansi Richards, harpist, 91 *

29 December Events Pre-1600 *1170 – Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of Henry II of England, King Henry II; he subsequently becomes a saint and martyr in the Anglican Communion and the ...

–

Richard Tecwyn Williams Richard Tecwyn Williams FRS (20 February 1909 – 29 December 1979) was a Welsh biochemist who founded the systematic study of xenobiotic metabolism with the publication of his book ''Detoxication mechanisms'' in 1947. This seminal book built ...

, biochemist, 70 *''date unknown'' ** Hugh Bevan, academic ** Dilys Davies, actress ** Trebor Lloyd Evans, writer ** Jennie Thomas, children's author *''probable'' – William Evans, rugby player, about 88

References

{{reflist Wales Wales