History of Aberystwyth
1960-1980
1960
May 16: Laser
1st working laser built by Theodore Maiman in USA
World Population
- 1750
- 0.79
- 1850
- 1.26
- 1950
- 2.52
- 1960
- 3.02
- 1975
- 4.07
- 1990
- 5.26
- 2000
- 6.07
Religion
32/34 Great Darkgate St,(where Welsh Calvinistic Methodists formed in 1823), is demolished, (now Supersave)
1961
April 12: Space Man
Soviet's put 1st man into space - Yuri Gagarin
October 30: Bomb
Soviet's detonate The Emperor a multistage hydrogen bomb. Even though it was scaled down to half yield for this test, at 50 megatons it remains the most powerful man made explosion.
1962
Town Hall #4
Town Hall re-opened after rebuilding following the 1957 fire.[7]
Physical Sciences
Completion of the Physical Sciences Building on Penglias Campus (which would featured on a postage stamp from 1971. An innovative feature is the curved western face helping to heat the building by catching sun's rays at any time of day. (This innovation was made ineffective simply by placing the heating system's only thermostat in the rear part of the building which is always in the shade.)
May: Lifeboat Centenary
Aberystwyth Lifeboat Centenary Celebrations
1962-1963
December 22-March 3: Harsh Winter
Severe winter - started 22nd of December and didn't ease up till the 3rd of March. Diesel froze in tractors.
1963
Seilo
Facade of Seilo rebuilt[7]
Flooding
Serious flooding in Aberystwyth
Davies Bryan Hall
Known as DB by the students, Davies Bryan Hall was opened on Penglais campus[17]
February 23: Welsh Language Protest
The first protest by the newly formed, Aberystwyth based, 'Welsh Language Society' was held on Trefechan bridge.
Sept 7: Rolling Stones
Rolling Stones play at the Kings Hall
Sept: Bronglais
Foundation stone of bronglais hospital is laid.
1964
April 7: Reusable software
IBM announced the System/360: a range of computers that could all run the same software
Southern Railway Closed
Tourism has declined to such an extent that railway line to Carmarthen is closed.
Slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse closed
Alban Davies
Known as AD by the students, Alban Davies Hall opened on Penglais campus[17]
May: Sports Hall
Sports Hall opened on Penglais campus
October: Librarianship
College of Librarianship Wales opened in Llanbadarn Fawr
1965
Hanging
Expanding Campus
Llandinam building opened on Penglais campus
Rural science extension opened on Penglais campus
Ifor Evans Hall opened on Penglais campus[17]
June: Librarianship
New librarianship college opens
December: Crown Building
New Crown Building opens at Plas Crug
1966
October 21: Aberfan pit disaster
Days of rain cause a landslide of the waste tip from the coal mine. 144 are killed including 116 children in the town school.
Bronglais Hospital
Workhouse demolished to make room for Bronglais Hospital
October: Bronglais Hospital
Patients are moved into the new Bronglais Hospital
1967
Expanding Campus
Botany extension opened on Penglais campus
Cwrt Mawr Hall opened on Penglais campus[17]
June: International Championships
Aberystwyth hosts the international tiddledywinks championship - With Wales playing Finland
June: Floods
Floods hit Aberystwyth
1968
Television
Harlech (HTV) took over the franchise to produce local programs for the region from TWW (Television Wales & the West).
May: Prime Minister
Prime Minister Harold Wilson visits Aberystwyth to addresses the agricultural workers conference being held at the Kings Hall
May: Apartheid
Students protest against Pantycelyn becoming a Welsh language hall, claiming it to be an example of apartheid
November: Drink
Referendum, whether to allow Sunday opening of pubs.
1969
Plascrug
Plascrug primary school opened [7]
April-June: Prince Charles
Prince Charles spends the summer term leaning Welsh at the University
July 1: Prince of Wales
Investiture of Charles Windsor as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle.
July: Moon men
America put 1st men on moon - Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin
November 14: Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac play at the Union Ball held in the Kings Hall
1970
Expanding Campus
Botany extension opened on Penglais campus
Great Hall completed on Penglais campus
1st part of Students Union opened on Penglais campus[17]
1971
Micro - Computer
4004 credited as the 1st single chip microprocessor
May: Great Hall
Great Hall officially opened on Penglais campus
September: Welsh Agricultural College
Welsh Agricultural College opens in Llanbadarn
September 22: Stamp
1972
Long Weekend
During miners strike energy supplies drop to the point where industry drops to a 3 day working week and domestic supplies are cut off part of the day.
1973
Ardwyn Grammar
Ardwyn Grammar and Dinas Secondary Modern schools close. Penglais (English medium) and Penweddig (bilingual) Comprehensive schools open.
Jan 16: Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin play at the Kings Hall
1974
March: Pot Army
Chinese Farmers find the Terracotta Army (over 8000 life-sized clay soldiers) guarding the tomb of Emperor Qin.
October 4: Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy play at the University
1975
Home Computer
MITS Altair credited as the 1st production home computer
World Population
- 1750
- 0.79
- 1850
- 1.26
- 1950
- 2.52
- 1960
- 3.02
- 1975
- 4.07
- 1990
- 5.26
- 2000
- 6.07
Movies
The cinema on Bath Street (over the years named: Imperial, Forum and Celtic) is opened in a new building, on the same site, now calling itself the Commodore
1976
Museum
The Ceredigion Museum opens. The 1904 building was originally an entertainments arcade, becoming a cinema in 1931.
Flooding
Serious flooding in Aberystwyth
1977
Police Station demolished
Police Station at the bottom of Gt Darkgate Street demolished [18]
1978
December 15: Optical Disks
1st optical disks go on sale. This Laserdisk technology will be refined into CD-ROMs and DVDs