On This Day

The Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales is opened

The Menai Strait (Welsh: Afon Menai, lit. 'River Menai') is a strait which separates the island of Anglesey from Gwynedd, on the mainland of Wales.

The Menai Strait (Welsh: Afon Menai, lit. 'River Menai') is a strait which separates the island of Anglesey from Gwynedd, on the mainland of Wales. It is situated between Caernarfon Bay in the south-west and Conwy Bay in the north-east, which are both inlets of the Irish Sea. The strait is about 16 mi (25 km) long and varies in width from 400 metres (1,300 ft) between Fort Belan and Abermenai Point to 4.7 miles (7.5 km) between Puffin Island (Ynys Seiriol) and Penmaenmawr.

Historical Significance

The Menai Strait (Welsh: Afon Menai, lit.

Events Before

  1. Dutch Princess Marianne and Prince Albert of Prussia separate after 18-1/2 years of marriage

    Dutch Princess Marianne and Prince Albert of Prussia separate after 18-1/2 years of marriage

  2. Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera "Le prophète" premieres in Paris

    Le prophète (The Prophet) is a grand opera in five acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer, which was premiered in Paris on 16 April 1849.

  3. Bacteriologist Louis Pasteur (26) weds secretary Marie Laurent (23) in Strasbourg, France

    Bacteriologist Louis Pasteur (26) weds secretary Marie Laurent (23) in Strasbourg, France

  4. Prime Minister of Canada John Abbott (28) weds Mary Bethune at bride's parents home

    Prime Minister of Canada John Abbott (28) weds Mary Bethune at bride's parents home

  5. First chamber music group in the US gives its first concert in Boston, Massachusetts

    First chamber music group in the US gives its first concert in Boston, Massachusetts

Events After

  1. City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line

    City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line

  2. Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Rigoletto" premieres in Venice

    Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo.

  3. Sojourner Truth addresses the first Black Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio

    Sojourner Truth was an American abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights, women's rights, and alcohol temperance.

  4. American inventor Isaac Singer patents his famous sewing machine

    Singer Corporation is an American manufacturer of consumer sewing machines, first established as I. M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac M. Singer with New York lawyer Edward C. Clark.

  5. Second US National Women's Rights Convention convenes in Brinley Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts

    Second US National Women's Rights Convention convenes in Brinley Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts

More from the 1850s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on March 5, 1850?
The Menai Strait (Welsh: Afon Menai, lit. 'River Menai') is a strait which separates the island of Anglesey from Gwynedd, on the mainland of Wales. It is situated between Caernarfon Bay in the south-west and Conwy Bay in the north-east, which are both inlets of the Irish Sea.
Why is The Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and... significant?
The Menai Strait (Welsh: Afon Menai, lit.

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