John Davies (historian) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Davies
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| Born | 25 April 1938 Treorchy, Wales
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| Died | 16 February 2015 (aged 76) |
| Education | University College, Cardiff Trinity College, Cambridge. |
| Occupation | Historian |
John Davies (born April 25, 1938 – died February 16, 2015) was a famous Welsh historian. He was also well-known for being a broadcaster on television and radio. He studied at universities in Cardiff and Cambridge. Later, he taught Welsh history at Aberystwyth University. John Davies wrote many books about the history of Wales, including his most famous one, A History of Wales. In Welsh, this book is called Hanes Cymru.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Davies was born in a place called the Rhondda in Wales. He went to university at University College, Cardiff. He also studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. These are both very respected universities.
Life as a Historian and Broadcaster
John Davies was married and had four children. After teaching Welsh history at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, he moved to Cardiff. He often appeared on TV and radio shows about history. People loved to hear him talk about the past.
In the mid-1980s, a publisher called Penguin Books asked John Davies to write a short history of Wales. He was very happy about this chance to write about Wales and its people. The Welsh version of his book was called Hanes Cymru. The English version was titled A History of Wales.
John Davies wrote that he "seized the opportunity" to write about Wales. He ended up writing much more than he was asked to! He took time off from his job at the university to write most of the book. He even traveled around Europe while working on it. He dedicated his Welsh book, Hanes Cymru, to his wife, Janet Mackenzie Davies.
The English version of Hanes Cymru was published in 1993. This happened because many English-speaking people wanted to read what Welsh speakers already had. Both the Welsh and English versions were updated in 2007.
Awards and Later Life
John Davies received important awards for his work. In 2005, he won the Glyndŵr Award. This award is given for amazing contributions to the arts in Wales. He also won the 2010 Wales Book of the Year award. He won it for his book called Cymru: Y 100 lle i'w gweld cyn marw. This means "Wales: The 100 places to see before you die."
John Davies lived in Grangetown, Cardiff. In 2013, a Welsh TV channel called S4C made a show about his life. It was called Gwirionedd y Galon: Dr John Davies. In 2014, he published his autobiography in Welsh. An autobiography is a book about your own life.
John Davies passed away in 2015 when he was 76 years old. His friend, Jon Gower, later published John Davies' autobiography in English. This was a way to honor his friend's memory.
Key Books by John Davies
John Davies wrote many important books about Welsh history and culture. Here are some of them:
- A History of Wales (1994) – His most famous book.
- Broadcasting and the BBC in Wales (1994) – About radio and TV in Wales.
- The Making of Wales (2009) – Another book about how Wales was formed.
- The Celts (2000) – This book was based on a TV series.
- The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales (2008) – A huge book with lots of information about Wales.
- Wales: 100 Places to See Before You Die (2010) – A guide to interesting places in Wales.
- Fy Hanes I: Hunangofiant (2014) – His autobiography in Welsh.
- A Life in History (2015) – His autobiography translated into English.
