Syd Barrett: Pink Floyd’s lost prophet

It’s 14 years ago today that the original creative force behind legendary British progressive rock band Pink Floyd passed away, his life cut short by an excessive lifestyle that saw only glimpses of his immense talent appear to the world. Syd Barrett, who joined the world on 6 January 1946, provided 10 of the 11…

Science: How Curie changed the world

Not only was she the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, but when awarded the honour again she became the first person to achieve it for a second time… also becoming the only woman to win it in two different fields. Known for her research into radioactivity and the discovery of polonium and radium,…

Tennis: When Hoad was king of the castle

If 2020 had gone to plan, the UK would currently be in the middle of the Wimbledon tennis fortnight, with Serbia’s Novak Djokovic probably still in the running to defend his title and secure a sixth championship crown. But this year is not a normal year, Wimbledon was cancelled due to an alleged pandemic sweeping…

UFOs: Greer’s disclosure crusade

With so many distractions in the modern world to occupy our time it’s easy for events to pass us by, but when pubs are shut, offices closed and there’s no football on the box it presents an opportunity to catch up with all the things we’ve been meaning to do but never found the time…

Rugby Union: When Piennar made World Cup history

Last week, on 24 June, it was the 25th anniversary of the 1995 Rugby World Cup final when Francois Piennar inspired a nation by leading South Africa to their first World Cup triumph on home soil, earning great praise for his leadership from South African president Nelson Mandela. The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the…

Moscovium: Element to unlock anti-gravity craft?

By the time I finished secondary school in the UK, seaborgium had become the latest element to be added to the periodic table. A synthetic element with the symbol Sg and atomic number 106, seaborgium was first produced in 1974 when a few of its atoms were created in laboratories in the Soviet Union and…

Taste of rural life on Gower Peninsula

Set in the heart of the Gower Peninsula just west of Swansea, the Gower Heritage Centre is a rural-life museum based around a working 12th century watermill. Established in 1990, it is recognised as a vibrant community for crafts and welcomes visitors from all around the world. The centre houses displays about the history of…

Swansea Museum

The world’s first industrial nation

The National Waterfront Museum in Swansea tells the story of Welsh industry and innovation over the past 300 years when Wales can lay claim to being the world’s first industrial nation. By the late 19th century, South Wales was internationally recognised as a centre for heavy industry, coal production and maritime trade and the National…