Local tradition holds that a girl called Merthyr Tydfil, daughter of a local chieftain named Brychan, was an early local convert to Christianity, and was pursued and murdered by a band of marauding Picts and Saxons while travelling to Hafod Tanglwys in Aberfan, a local farm that is still occupied.
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Merthyr Tydfil was close to reserves of iron ore, coal, limestone, timber and water, making it an ideal site for ironworks.
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The inhabitants of China were seen as a separate class, away from the respectable areas of Merthyr Tydfil, and were clearly recognisable by their lifestyle and appearance.
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Merthyr Tydfil Rising of 1831 was precipitated by ruthless collection of debts, frequent wage reductions, and imposition of truck shops.
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Population of Merthyr Tydfil reached 51,949 in 1861, but then went into decline for several years.
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The fortunes of Merthyr Tydfil revived temporarily during World War II, as war industry reached the area.
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In 1992, while testing a new angina treatment in Merthyr Tydfil, researchers discovered that the new drug had erection-stimulating side effects for some of the healthy volunteers in the trial study.
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In 2006 inventor Howard Stapleton, based in Merthyr Tydfil, developed the technology that gave rise to the recent mosquitotone or Teen Buzz phenomenon.
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Parish of Merthyr Tydfil was made a local board district in 1850, which became an urban district in 1894.
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Merthyr Tydfil was granted county borough status in 1908, making it independent from Glamorgan County Council.
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Merthyr Tydfil was regarded as a nonconformist stronghold in the 19th century, but the chapels declined rapidly from the 1920s onwards and most are now closed.
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Griffith's move to Merthyr Tydfil saw him take over a much larger and more established parish than Aberdare.
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Merthyr Tydfil became less than popular with the church authorities as a result of his support for disestablishment.
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Merthyr Tydfil was notable in the 19th and early 20th centuries for a large number of nonconformist places of worship, most holding services in Welsh.
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Menter Iaith Merthyr Tudful has successfully transformed the Zoar Chapel and adjacent vestry building in Pontmorlais into a community arts venue, Canolfan Soar and Theatr Soar, which run a programme of performance events and activities in both Welsh and English, together with a cafe and a bookshop specialising in local interest and Welsh language books and CDs.
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Merthyr Tydfil hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1881 and 1901 and the national Urdd Gobaith Cymru Eisteddfod in 1987.
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In modern Merthyr Tydfil, behind the monument to Trevithick's locomotive, is a stone wall, the sole remainder of the former boundary wall of Penydarren House.
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Merthyr Tydfil relies on a combination of public sector, manufacturing and service sector companies to provide employment.
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Merthyr Tydfil has a football team, Merthyr Tydfil Town or "The Martyrs", currently competes in England's Evostick Southern Football League and plays home games at Penydarren Park.
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Notable descendants of Merthyr Tydfil include the singer-songwriter Katell Keineg, whose mother is from Merthyr Tydfil, the "Chariots of Fire" athlete Harold Abrahams' mother Esther Isaacs, and the grandfather of Rolf Harris.
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