History of Aberystwyth
1960-1980
1960
May 16: Laser
1st working laser built by Theodore Maiman in USA
World Population
- -6000
- 0.01
- -4000
- 0.02
- -2000
- 0.03
- -1000
- 0.05
- - 500
- 0.10
- 1
- 0.20
- 1000
- 0.31
- 1750
- 0.79
- 1800
- 0.98
- 1850
- 1.26
- 1900
- 1.65
- 1950
- 2.52
- 1955
- 2.76
- 1960
- 2.98
- 1965
- 3.33
- 1970
- 3.69
- 1975
- 4.07
- 1980
- 4.43
- 1985
- 4.83
- 1990
- 5.26
- 1995
- 5.67
- 2000
- 6.07
- 2005
- 6.45
Religion
32/34 Great Darkgate St,(where Welsh Calvinistic Methodists formed in 1823), is demolished, (now Supersave)
1961
April 12: Space Man
Soviets 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.
Chess
British Chess Championships held in Aberystwyth.
November 8: Drink
Referendum results show that Ceredigion did not want to allow Sunday opening of pubs.
1962
December 14: Peek at Venus
American spacecraft Mariner 2 - scanned Venus as it flew by.
Town Hall #4
Town Hall re-opened after rebuilding following the 1957 fire.[7]
August 4: Welsh Language
'Welsh Language Society' formed and made its headquarters in Aberystwyth
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
Mouse
Computer Mouse invented (cf The trackball of 1952)
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
World Population
- -6000
- 0.01
- -4000
- 0.02
- -2000
- 0.03
- -1000
- 0.05
- - 500
- 0.10
- 1
- 0.20
- 1000
- 0.31
- 1750
- 0.79
- 1800
- 0.98
- 1850
- 1.26
- 1900
- 1.65
- 1950
- 2.52
- 1955
- 2.76
- 1960
- 2.98
- 1965
- 3.33
- 1970
- 3.69
- 1975
- 4.07
- 1980
- 4.43
- 1985
- 4.83
- 1990
- 5.26
- 1995
- 5.67
- 2000
- 6.07
- 2005
- 6.45
1965
Cool After Glow
A Penzias and R Wilson are having trouble removing a hiss from their new radio telescope. This hiss turns out to be the after glow of the big bang, now having dimmed to just 3.5Kelvin.
July 14-15: Peek at Mars
American spacecraft Mariner 4 - scanned Mars as it flew by.
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
February 6: Send us Pictures when you get there
Soviet spacecraft Luna 9 becomes the 1st to land on (as opposed to crash into) the moon and the 1st to send images from the surface of anything other than earth
April 3: Just Going for a Spin
Soviet spacecraft Luna 10 starts to orbit the moon and becomes the 1st man made object to orbit anything other the the earth or the sun
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
Official Welsh
'Welsh Language Act' permits Welsh to be used in legal proceedings and official documents
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
September 21: Hurry Home
Soviet spacecraft Zond 5 becomes the 1st to go outside earth's orbit and return to earth
December 24: Hurry Home
American spacecraft Apollo 8 enters the moon's orbit and the crew become the people to orbit anything other than earth or sun
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 results show that Ceredigion did not want 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 20: 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
World Population
- -6000
- 0.01
- -4000
- 0.02
- -2000
- 0.03
- -1000
- 0.05
- - 500
- 0.10
- 1
- 0.20
- 1000
- 0.31
- 1750
- 0.79
- 1800
- 0.98
- 1850
- 1.26
- 1900
- 1.65
- 1950
- 2.52
- 1955
- 2.76
- 1960
- 2.98
- 1965
- 3.33
- 1970
- 3.69
- 1975
- 4.07
- 1980
- 4.43
- 1985
- 4.83
- 1990
- 5.26
- 1995
- 5.67
- 2000
- 6.07
- 2005
- 6.45
November 17: Rover
Part of the Soviet's Luna 17 mission was Lunokhod 1 the 1st roving vehicle roam over anything other the earth.
December 15: Touching Venus
Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 becomes the 1st to land on another planet
Political
Aberystwyth university physics professor Phil Williams becomes the 1st chairman of Plaid Cymru - a post he held till 1976
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
April 19: Space Station
The Soviet Union launch Salyut 1 which becomes the 1st space station
November 13: Mars Orbiter
American spacecraft Mariner 9 becomes the 1st to orbit another planet
November 27: Mars Lander A
The lander part of the Soviet spacecraft Mars 2 malfunctioned during descent through the Martian atmosphere. Though failing to be a lander is was th 1st man made object to reach the Martian surface
December 2: Mars Lander B
The lander part of the Soviet spacecraft Mars 3 made it to the surface of Mars, but only functioned long enough to send a partial image
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
Looking Inside
An image was created by Paul Lauterbur using a strong magnetic field to 'excite' a sample and another field to help isolate the view to a small spot in the sample. By building up rows of spots into sheets a 2 dimensional slice can be seen through the body which includes soft tissue detail. This non-invasive technique is now called MRI
December 3: Peek at Jupiter
American spacecraft Pioneer 10 - scanned Jupiter as it flew by
Ardwyn Grammar
Ardwyn Grammar School (opened in 1896 as Aberystwyth County School) 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
EEC
United kingdom admitted in to the EEC
1974
March 29: Peek at Mercury
American spacecraft Mariner 10 - scanned Mercury as it flew by.
March: Pot Soldiers
Chinese farmers find the Terracotta Army (over 8000 life-sized clay soldiers) guarding the tomb of Emperor Qin.
April 1: Dyfed
The county of Dyfed is created from Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire only to be broken up into three unitary authorities in 1996.
October 4: Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy play at the University
1975
Home Computer
MITS Altair credited as the 1st production home computer
October 20: Circling Venus
Soviet's Venera 9 becomes the 1st to orbit Venus
World Population
- -6000
- 0.01
- -4000
- 0.02
- -2000
- 0.03
- -1000
- 0.05
- - 500
- 0.10
- 1
- 0.20
- 1000
- 0.31
- 1750
- 0.79
- 1800
- 0.98
- 1850
- 1.26
- 1900
- 1.65
- 1950
- 2.52
- 1955
- 2.76
- 1960
- 2.98
- 1965
- 3.33
- 1970
- 3.69
- 1975
- 4.07
- 1980
- 4.43
- 1985
- 4.83
- 1990
- 5.26
- 1995
- 5.67
- 2000
- 6.07
- 2005
- 6.45
November 5: Drink
Referendum results show that Ceredigion did not want to allow Sunday opening of pubs.
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
Portable Computer
Although only about 10 working prototypes were ever made the Xerox NoteTaker credited as the 1st portable computer.
Museum
The Ceredigion Museum opens. The 1904 building was originally an entertainments arcade, becoming a cinema in 1931.
Flooding
Serious flooding in Aberystwyth
1977
March: Acid
Police Station demolished
Police Station at the bottom of Gt Darkgate Street demolished [18]
1978
May 3: Bulk e-mail
DEC sent out an e-mail inviting many people to a demo of the new DEC-20 computer. This is regarded and the 1st piece of spam
December 15: Optical Disks
1st optical disks go on sale. This Laserdisk technology will be refined into CD-ROMs and DVDs
1979
March 1: Devolution Vote
September 1: Peek at Saturn
Launched in 1973, American spacecraft Pioneer 11 - scanned Saturn as it flew by.