SO, DID ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN IN 1958?
Wales have kicked off their first major football tournament since 1958. But what else was going on in Wales in 1958? We take a look back through the archives to see what made headlines in Wales’ World Cup year
1 Harlem
It was the summer that Harlem came to Wales. In June 1958, the Harlem Globetrotters dropped in at Ninian Park in Cardiff to play an exhibition game against the United States Star Basketeers Team.
The guy in the picture is the delightfully named Meadowlark Lemon, the clown king of the globetrotters, who ran rings around his opponents as he dribbled through their ranks.
2 Pageant
The Festival of Wales in May 1958 and the opening parade looked like quite a spectacle.
As our picture shows, thousands turned out to watch the passing pageant - including this enormous dragon.
3 Henry Cooper
Boxing legend Henry Cooper was a VIP visitor to the Welsh capital.
Heavyweight Cooper and his twin brother George, on the left of the photo, are pictured in October 1958 arriving at Cardiff Central Sta- tion following Cooper’s bout with American Zora Folley a few days earlier. Although the area outside is transformed, Central Station is clearly recognisable.
4 Terry Dene
This was how pop stars learned to drive in 1958. Pop singer Terry Dene was appearing at the New Theatre in Cardiff in September and posed for photographers as he had his second driving lesson with the British school of Motoring. With him is Mr WH Poulson, who was the school manager. And, in case you’re wondering, Dene had three Top 20 hits between 1957 and 1958.
5 The Saints
Skiffle was quite the thing in the 1950s, and skifflers The Saints, from Port Talbot, played in holiday camps all over Wales in the summer of ’58. Here are members Ray Morgan, Hadyn Morgan, Haydn Edwards, Jeff Sims and Graham Williams enjoying the sunshine.
6 Porthcawl
You’d be lucky to find a square inch of sand to park your deckchair in Porthcawl back in ’58.
7 Druid
This is how Eisteddfods looked, 1950s-style. Pictured here is chaired bard, T Llew Jones of Llandysul, leaving the pavilion, accompanied by the Archdruid, after the chairing ceremony at the Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale in August 1958.
8 Canton Stand, main picture
Cardiff City were in Division Two in 1958 (which is pretty much the equivalent of the Championship now). This is the day in September 1958 when they beat Sheffield United 3-1 at Ninian Park. The advertising on the roof of the Canton Stand? “Fly Cambrian Airways”.
9 Westgate Street
This is how Westgate Street looked on international days in 1958. And, you know what? It’s not that different from what we see now. Long before the Principality Stadium, fans were still packing in to the national stadium, as our picture shows. You can also pick out the Cardiff and County Club, which hasn’t changed, and the Castle Court flats – and bottom right is the building that is now Zero Degrees.
10 Citrus
This shot takes the prize for most bizarre news pic of the year. The 1958 Wales football team are pictured receiving a case of oranges from the Citrus Marketing Board of Israel. Shosana Ahud from Tel Aviv, who was a student in English at London University, was enlisted to make the unusual fruit presentation as Wales and Israel met in the qualification group for the 1958 World Cup.
11 Lone Ranger
Celebrities are nothing new. This was the incredible scene as fans turned out to catch a glimpse of the Lone Ranger – actor Clayton Moore, during a visit to Howells department store. You can just make out Moore’s cowboy hat as he fought his way to the entrance in August 1958.
12 Dominions
The Dominions Arcade is still going strong on Queen Street. What you’re less likely to see is women in fur coats and hats, Echo newspaper vendors and cyclists heading down what’s now a pedestrianised high street.
13 Marathon
1958 was the year that Cardiff famously hosted the Empire Games. Here, competitors in the marathon leg it out of the stadium amidst the cheers of spectators in Westgate Street.
14 Callaghan
James Callaghan, who was the MP for Cardiff South, marched in the South Wales Miners Rally in Cardiff in July 1958. Of course later, he went on to become Prime Minister from 1976 to 1979.
15 Come Dancing
Mr and Mrs Ken Parsons, the Welsh old time dancing champions, were preparing to compete in the BBC’s inter-regional dancing contest when Wales met South on Come Dancing.