Short answers, pulled from the story.
King Sweyn Forkbeard ruled from 954 to 1014 and established a trading post at the mouth of the River Tawe. His name became the root for the town's identity with the Old Norse suffix -ey meaning island or inlet.
Swansea became the world's leading copper-smelting center from the early 1700s until the late 1800s. The first copper smelter opened in 1717, followed by many others along the River Tawe.
German bombing destroyed much of the town center during the Three Nights Blitz on the 19th, 20th, and the 21st of February 1941. Heavy industries declined over the post-war decades leaving the Lower Swansea Valley filled with derelict works and waste mounds.
Swansea was granted city status on the 3rd of July 1969 to mark Prince Charles's investiture as the Prince of Wales. The announcement came during a tour of Wales when the city obtained the right to have a Lord Mayor in 1982.
Dylan Thomas lived at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive in Uplands for 23 years and produced two-thirds of his published work from his bedroom. His former home is now open for tours as a memorial to his life and legacy.