This article is about the particular significance of the year 1994 to

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

and its people.

Incumbents

Secretary of State for Wales The secretary of state for Wales (), also referred to as the Welsh secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Wales Office. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Ki ...

–

John Redwood Sir John Alan Redwood (born 15 June 1951) is a British politician and academic who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wokingham in Berkshire from 1987 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Secretary of State for Wales in the ...

Archbishop of Wales The post of Archbishop of Wales () was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England and disestablished. The four historic Welsh dioceses had previously formed part of the Province of Canterbury, and so came ...

– Alwyn Rice Jones,

Bishop of St Asaph The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph. The diocese covers the counties of Conwy county borough, Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The ...

Archdruid Archdruid () is the title used by the presiding official of Gorsedd Cymru, the Gorsedd. The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, the award of the and the C ...

of the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( 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 Europe. Competito ...

– John Gwilym Jones

Events

26 January Events Pre-1600 * 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph. *1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people. * 1564 – The Council of Trent ...

–

A man ''A Man'' (1979) () (, transliteration: ''Enas Andras'') is a biographical novel written by Oriana Fallaci chronicling her romantic relationship with the resistance fighter Alexandros Panagoulis, who attempted to assassinate the Greek dictator ...

fires two blank shots at the Prince of Wales (now

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

), during the prince's visit to Sydney, Australia. *

10 February Events Pre-1600 * 1258 – The Siege of Baghdad ends with the surrender of the last Abbasid caliph to Hulegu Khan, a prince of the Mongol Empire. *1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce m ...

– An

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

shock measuring 2.9 on the

Richter scale The Richter scale (), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and pr ...

is experienced within a 50-mile radius of the

epicentre The epicenter (), epicentre, or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Determination The primary purpose of a s ...

near

Bangor, Wales Bangor (; ) is a cathedral city and community in Gwynedd, north Wales. It is the oldest city in Wales. Historically part of Caernarfonshire, the community had a population of 15,060 at the 2021 census, and the built up area had a population ...

. *

18 March Events Pre-1600 * 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ''(aka Caligula = Little Boots)'' emperor.Tacitus, ''Annals'' V.10. *1068 – An earthquake in the Levant and the Ara ...

– An

shock measuring 3.1 on the

is experienced within a 30-mile radius of the

near

Newtown, Montgomeryshire Newtown () is a town in Powys, Wales. It lies on the River Severn in the community of Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn, within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It was designated a new town in 1967 and saw population growth as firms settl ...

. *

1 April Events Pre-1600 * 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. * 1081 – Alexios I Komnenos overthrows the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates, and, after his troo ...

– At Coney Beach Pleasure Park, Porthcawl, a 9-year-old boy is killed after being flung off the 58-year-old "Water Chute" ride when a steel hoop collapses in wet and windy conditions and falls onto the open-topped carriage in which he is travelling. *

29 June Events Pre-1600 * 226 – Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of Wei. * 1149 – Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi. *1170 – A major earthquake hits Syria, badly damaging tow ...

– In a televised interview with Jonathan Dimbleby, the Prince of Wales admits having committed adultery after the breakdown of his marriage. * 19 July –

Glenys Kinnock Glenys Elizabeth Kinnock, Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, (; 7 July 1944 – 3 December 2023), was a British politician and teacher who served as Minister of State for Europe from June to October 2009 and Minister of State for Africa and the U ...

is elected to the European Parliament. * 24 July – Explosion at

Pembroke Refinery The Pembroke Refinery is an oil refinery situated on the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales at Rhoscrowther in the community of Angle. It first came on stream in 1964 and was Regent/Texaco's only British refinery. The refinery occupies a prominent p ...

injures 26. *

28 August Events Pre-1600 * 475 – The Roman general Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his capital city, Ravenna. * 489 – Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, defeats Odoacer at the Battle of Isonzo, forcing his way i ...

–

Sunday trading Sunday shopping or Sunday trading refers to the ability of retailers to operate stores on Sunday, a day that Christian tradition typically recognises as a day of rest, though the rationale for Sunday trade bans often includes secular reasoning. ...

becomes legal in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

for the first time. *

10 September Events Pre-1600 * 506 – The bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. * 1089 – The first synod of pope Urban II starts in Melfi, with seventy bishops and twelve abbots in attendance. The synod issues several decrees ...

–

Bryn Terfel Bryn Terfel Jones (; born 9 November 1965), is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially primarily associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and ''Don Giovanni,'' but he has subsequ ...

is guest soloist at the Last Night of

the Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...

in London. *Dr Elizabeth Haywood is the first winner of the Welsh Woman of the Year award. *Miners at the Tower Colliery in South Wales, led by Tyrone O'Sullivan, set up TEBO (Tower Employees Buy-Out) to try to save their mine. *Work begins on the

Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay (; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it is the river mouth of the River Taff and River Ely, Ely. The body of water was converted into a lake as part ...

barrage. *

St Davids St Davids or St David's (, , "David's house”) is a cathedral city in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies on the River Alun and is part of the community of St Davids and the Cathedral Close. It is the resting place of Saint David, Wales's ...

(population 2,000) is restored to

city status in the United Kingdom City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the the Crown, monarch of the United Kingdom to specific centres of population, which might or might not meet the generally accepted definition of city, cities. , there are List of cities in the Un ...

at the request of the Queen, confirmed by

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

presented on 1 June 1995.

Arts and literature

*Foundation of the Harlech Biennale visual arts festival.

Awards

*National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in

Neath Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...

) *National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Emyr Lewis, "Chwyldro" *National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Gerwyn Williams, "Dolenni" *National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal –

Robin Llywelyn Robin Llywelyn (born 24 November 1958) is a Welsh novelist, writing in both Welsh and English. His works include ''From Empty Harbour to White Ocean'', winner of the National Eisteddfod Prose Medal. He is also the managing director of Portmeirion ...

, ''O'r Harbwr Gwag i'r Cefnfor Gwyn'' *Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen - Eirug Wyn *

Wales Book of the Year The Wales Book of the Year is a Welsh literary award given annually to the best Welsh and English language works in the fields of fiction and literary criticism by Welsh or Welsh interest authors. Established in 1992, the awards are currently ...

: **English language: Paul Ferris, ''Caitlin'' ** Welsh language: Robin Chapman, ''W. J. Gruffydd'' * Aventis Prize – Steve Jones, ''

The Language of the Genes ''The Language of the Genes'' (HarperCollins, ) is a popular science book by Steve Jones (biologist), Steve Jones about genetics and evolution. It followed a 1991 series of Reith Lectures by Jones with the same title.Glyndŵr Award The Glyndŵr Award ( Welsh: Gwobr Glyndŵr) is made for an outstanding contribution to the arts in Wales. It is given by the Machynlleth Tabernacle Trust to pre-eminent figures in music, art and literature in rotation. The award takes its name ...

– Ian Parrott (composer)

New books

English language

* John Davies – ''A History of Wales'' *

Jonathan Dimbleby Jonathan Dimbleby (born 31 July 1944) is a British presenter of current affairs and political radio and television programmes, author and historian. He is the son of Richard Dimbleby and younger brother of television presenter David Dimbleby. ...

– ''The Prince of Wales: a Biography'' * Mike Jenkins – ''Graffiti Narratives'' *John May – ''Reference Wales'' * Jenny Rees – ''Looking for Mr Nobody; The Secret Life of Goronwy Rees''

Welsh language

Donald Evans Donald Louis Evans (born July 27, 1946) is an American businessman. He was the 34th U.S. Secretary of Commerce. He was appointed by his longtime friend George W. Bush and sworn into office on January 20, 2001. On November 9, 2004, the White Hous ...

– ''Wrth Reddf'' * Bobi Jones – ''Crist a Chenedlaetholdeb (Christ and Nationalism)'' * Esyllt T. Lawrence - ''Cyn y Wawr'' *

Mihangel Morgan Mihangel Morgan (born ''Michael Finch'' on 7 December 1955 in Trecynon, near Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf) is a Welsh author. Background and career He changed his name from Michael Finch to Mihangel Morgan in his early twenties, taking his mothe ...

- ''Te Gyda'r Frenhines''

New music

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci Gorky's Zygotic Mynci () were a psychedelic folk and alternative rock band which formed in Carmarthen, Wales, in 1991. The group performed music in both Welsh and English, and they had eight Top 75 singles on the UK Singles Chart during their ...

- ''Tatay'' (album) *

Karl Jenkins Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins, , Honorary Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, HonFLSW (born 17 February 1944) is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and composer. His best known works include the song "Adiemus (song), Adiemus" (1995, from the Adi ...

- '' Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary''

Film

* Keith Allen plays the mysterious lodger in ''

Shallow Grave Shallow Grave may refer to: * ''Shallow Grave'' (1987 film), an American slasher film * ''Shallow Grave'' (1994 film), a British thriller film directed by Danny Boyle * ''Shallow Grave'' (album), a 2008 album by The Tallest Man on Earth {{disa ...

''.

Welsh-language films

*''Branwen'' ( Ceri Sherlock) *'' Hedd Wyn'' *'' Tân ar y Comin'' (premièred 1 January on

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

television) *''Ymadawiad Arthur''

Music

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

performs a spoken-word duet with

Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter of Folk music, folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans 40 years. In the mid-1980s and 1990s she released four singles that entered the Top 40 charts in the ...

on the song "The Long Voyage" on

Hector Zazou Hector Zazou (11 July 1948 – 8 September 2008) was a prolific French composer and record producer who worked with, produced, and collaborated with an international array of recording artists. He worked on his own and other artists' albums, inclu ...

's album '' Chansons des mers froides''. *

Shakin' Stevens Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although ...

gives up recording.

Albums

Bryn Fôn Bryn Fôn (born 27 August 1954) is a Welsh actor and singer-songwriter. He also became the first artist to play live on BBC Radio Cymru in 1977. Biography Bryn Fôn was born in Llanllyfni, Caernarfonshire. He attended Ysgol Gynradd Llanllyf ...

– ''Dyddiau Di-gymar'' *

Dafydd Iwan Dafydd Iwan Jones (born 24 August 1943) is a Welsh people, Welsh singer and Welsh nationalism, nationalist politician who rose to fame writing and performing folk music in the Welsh language. From 2003 to 2010, Iwan was the president of Plaid ...

– ''Caneuon Gwerin''

Broadcasting

Welsh-language television

*'' Gogs'' (animation) *''Gwalia yng Nghasia'' (documentary) *''Yr Heliwr ("A Mind to Kill")'' (drama) *''Pengelli'' *'' Uned 5'' (children's)

English-language television

*''Wales Tonight'' (HTV)

Sport

* BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Steve Robinson *

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

– The Wales team wins a total of 19 medals, including five golds (

Colin Jackson Colin Ray Jackson, (born 18 February 1967) is a British former sprint and hurdling athlete who specialised in the 110 metres hurdles. During a career in which he represented Great Britain and Wales, he won an Olympic silver medal, became w ...

, 110m hurdles; Neil Winter, pole vault; Michael Jay, rapid-fire pistol; David Morgan, middleweight weightlifting snatch and overall middleweight title). *

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

–

Vinnie Jones Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is an English actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, C ...

is chosen to captain the Wales international side. *

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

–

Ian Woosnam Ian Harold Woosnam (born 2 March 1958) is a Welsh professional golfer. Nicknamed "Woosie", Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe ...

wins the British Masters tournament.

Births

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 &nd ...

– Nathan Walker, Welsh-Australian ice hockey player *

30 June Events Pre-1600 * 296 – Pope Marcellinus begins his papacy. * 763 – The Byzantine army of emperor Constantine V defeats the Bulgarian forces in the Battle of Anchialus. * 1422 – Battle of Arbedo between the duke of Milan ...

– Rhys Jones, sprinter * 2 July –

Jessica Leigh Jones Jessica Leigh Jones (born 1994) is a Welsh engineer and astrophysicist from Cardiff. She is credited with becoming the first female to win the UK Young Engineer of the Year Award in 2012 for her work designing a portable uterine contraction m ...

, engineer * 7 September –

Elinor Barker Elinor Jane Barker (born 7 September 1994) is a Welsh road and track Cycle sport, racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's Team . Representing British Cycling, Great Britain in international competitions, Barker is an Olympic champio ...

, cyclist * 6 October – Joe Woolford, singer *''date unknown'' – Rhys Morgan, health blogger

Deaths

1 January January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year. __TOC__ Events ...

–

Allen Forward Allen Forward (4 June 1921 – 1 January 1994) was a Welsh rugby union forward who favoured the position of flanker. Forward played club rugby for Pontypool and various Police teams. He played in six internationals for Wales and was part of t ...

, Wales international rugby union player, 72 * 23 March –

Donald Swann Donald Ibrahim Swann (30 September 1923 – 23 March 1994) was a British composer, musician, singer and entertainer. He was one half of Flanders and Swann, writing and performing Novelty song, comic songs with Michael Flanders. Early life Dona ...

, musician, 70 *

30 April Events Pre-1600 * 311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends. * 1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged at the instigation of Charles, Count of Valois. *1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columbus h ...

–

Herbert Bowden, Baron Aylestone Herbert William Bowden, Baron Aylestone (20 January 1905 – 30 April 1994) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician. Early life Born in Cardiff, Wales, Bowden was the son of Herbert Bowden, a baker, and his wife Henrietta (née Goul ...

, politician, 89 *

21 May Events Pre-1600 * 293 – Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appoint Galerius as ''Caesar'' to Diocletian, beginning the period of four rulers known as the Tetrarchy. * 878 – Syracuse, Sicily, is captured by the Muslim Aghlabi ...

–

Cliff Wilson Clifford Wilson (10 May 1934 – 21 May 1994) was a Welsh people, Welsh professional snooker player who reached his highest Snooker world rankings, ranking of 16 in Snooker world rankings 1988/1989, 1988–89. He was the 1978 IBSF World Snooke ...

, snooker player, 60 * 31 May – Tom Lewis, Wales international rugby union player, 89 * 27 June – Jeremy Brooks, novelist, poet and dramatist, 67 * 24 July – Aubrey Davies, cricketer, 79 *

29 July Events Pre-1600 *587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple. * 615 – K'inich Janaab' Pakal, Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12. * 904 – Sa ...

–

William Mathias William James Mathias CBE (1 November 1934 – 29 July 1992) was a Welsh composer noted for choral works. Biography William Mathias was born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire. A child prodigy, he started playing the piano at the age of three and b ...

, composer, 57 *

31 July Events Pre-1600 *30 BC – Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide. * 781 – The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji (Tr ...

–

Caitlin Macnamara Caitlin Thomas (née Macnamara; 8 December 1913 – 31 July 1994) was an author and the wife of the poet and writer Dylan Thomas. Their marriage was a stormy affair, fueled by alcohol and infidelity, though the couple remained together until Dyl ...

, widow of

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...

, 80 * 23 August – Wat Jones, cricketer, 77 *

1 September Events Pre-1600 * 1145 – The main altar of Lund Cathedral, at the time the seat of the archiepiscopal see of all the Nordic countries, is consecrated. *1173 – The widow Stamira sacrifices herself in order to raise the siege of An ...

– Dr Roger Thomas, politician, 68 * 4 October – F. Gwendolen Rees, zoologist, 88 * 9 October – Idris Hopkins, footballer, 83 *

17 October Events Pre-1600 * 690 – Empress Wu Zetian establishes the Zhou Dynasty of China. * 1091 – London tornado of 1091: A tornado thought to be of strength T8/F4 strikes the heart of London. * 1346 – The English capture King D ...

–

Gus Risman Augustus "Gus" John Ferdinand Risman (21 March 1911 – 17 October 1994) was a Welsh professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s through to the 1950s, and coached in the 1940s through to the 1970s. A devastating three-quarter ...

, rugby league player, 83 * 28 October – Steve Curtis, boxer, 45 *

6 December Events Pre-1600 *1060 – Béla I is crowned king of Hungary. * 1240 – Mongol invasion of Rus': Kyiv, defended by Voivode Dmytro, falls to the Mongols under Batu Khan. *1492 – After exploring the island of Cuba (which he ha ...

–

Alun Owen Alun Davies Owen (24 November 1925 – 6 December 1994) was a Welsh playwright, screenwriter and actor, predominantly in television. However, he is best remembered by a wider audience for writing the screenplay of The Beatles' debut feature f ...

, screenwriter, 69 *

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 Naupl ...

– Stuart Evans, writer, 60 * 29 December – Jack Rippon, cricketer, 76 * 31 December –

Harri Webb Harri Webb (7 September 1920 – 31 December 1994) was a Welsh poetry, Welsh poet, Welsh nationalism, Welsh nationalist, journalist and librarian. Early life Harri Webb was born on 7 September 1920 in Swansea, at 45 Tŷ Coch Road in Sketty, but ...

, poet, 74 *''date unknown'' **

Colin Edwards Colin Edwards II (born February 27, 1974), nicknamed the "Texas Tornado", is an American former professional Motorcycle sport, motorcycle racer who retired half-way through the 2014 season. He is a two-time List of Superbike World champions, Wo ...

, writer, 69/70 ** Elisabeth Inglis-Jones, writer, 93/4

References

{{Reflist

1994 in Europe 1990s in Wales