On this day in 1875 John Hughes Bennett, the pioneer microscopist, died.
John Hughes Bennett was born in London but obtained his MD at Edinburgh.
After studying in Paris and Germany, he returned to Edinburgh in 1841 to lecture on histology and was professor of the Institutes of Medicine there from 1843-1874.
He introduced cod liver oil into medical use and gave the first definite description of leukaemia.
Today, the John Hughes Bennett Laboratory at the University of Edinburgh carries out research in the field of haematology.
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On 25th September 1703 Archibald Campbell, 10th Earl and 1st Duke of Argyll, died.
One of two commissioners who offered the Scottish Crown to William and Mary, he organised the Massacre of Glencoe when 38 of the MacDonalds were killed when they refused to submit to William III. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this the 26th day in 1915 James Kier Hardie, the Scottish Labour statesman, died.
At the age of eight, Hardie worked as a delivery boy for a baker and was the sole wage earner in his family.
In January 1866, he was sacked for unpunctuality after spending the night looking after his dying brother and arriving late for work.
The family then moved to Lanarkshire where he got a job as a miner.
Hardie never attended school, but by the age of seventeen had learned to write, and began to read newspaper accounts describing the steps that some workers were taking to improve their conditions by forming trade unions.
His political career began with the formation of a union at his colliery and he led the first ever Lanarkshire miners' strike.
Hardie was initially a supporter of the Liberal Party but soon formed the opinion that the working class needed their own party to represent them.
His first attempt to enter the House of Commons in 1888 ended in failure, but he was elected as the first socialist MP in 1892 when he was returned as the Independent Labour candidate for West Ham South.
He lost his seat in 1895, but was returned in 1900 as the MP for Merthyr Tydfil.
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On this day in 1994 Jessie Kesson, the author of Another Time Another Place, died.
She was born an illegitimate child in the workhouse in Inverness in 1916.
When her mother fell ill, Jessie was removed from her care, and she grew up in an orphanage in Aberdeenshire.
Although encouraged by her schoolmaster to attend university, this was against orphanage policy and she was sent into farm service.
She suffered a nervous breakdown through frustration of her talents and spent a year in a mental hospital.
Throughout the 1940s and 50s she wrote over 30 plays and programmes for BBC Radio Aberdeen and gradually became an acclaimed writer.
She moved first to Glasgow and then to London and continued to produce more plays and novels, including Another Time, Another Place, based on the experiences of Italian prisoners of war on Orkney. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this 27th day 1938 the liner Queen Elizabeth, then the largest passenger ship ever built, launched at John Brown's shipyard, Clydebank.
In 1930, Cunard decided to build two giant liners to operate a weekly service across the Atlantic to the USA.
Work started on the Queen Mary in December of the same year, but due to the deepening world recession the second liner, the Queen Elizabeth, was not commissioned until 1936.
The ship was 1,031 feet (314 m) long and 118.5 feet (36 m) wide and had a draft of 38 feet (11.6 m).
Fitting out was not complete at the declaration of war in 1939 and in 1940 she sailed to New York to avoid the danger of enemy bombing.
She was so fast that her convoy escorts could not keep up with her.
The Queen Elizabeth served as a troop ship during the war and entered service as a transatlantic liner in 1946.
In 1969 she was sold to become a home for Hong Kong's Seawise University and was destroyed by fire during refitting in Hong Kong Harbour in 1972.
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On this day in 1831, the first passenger railway in Scotland was opened between Glasgow and Garnkirk in Lanarkshire.
The line had been operating as a goods only service since May.
The railway was financed by Charles Tennant & Company, the chemical manufacturers based at St Rollox, and the opening of this line was the start of an association with the railway industry which went on to make Springburn Europe's largest manufacturer of locomotives.
The line was extended to Coatbridge in 1843 and Whifflet two years later, and, apart from the original Townhead terminus, is still open. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this the 28th day in 1396 the Battle of the Clans took place on the North Inch, Perthshire.
A long running feud between the powerful Chattan (or Mackintosh) and Mackay (or Kay) clans was settled by this fight to the death.
Legend has it that the Chattans were one man short and paid a local saddler to join them for the price of "half a French gold dollar".
Luckily for him he had joined the winning side.
By the time King Robert III, who was watching the battle with several of his court, signalled the end of the contest only one of the 30 Mackays had survived after swimming to safety across the Tay.
Ten of the Chattans and the saddler also survived.
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Today in 1581 George Buchanan, historian, scholar and tutor of King James VI, died.
Born in the village of Moss in Stirlingshire, he spent time studying and teaching in St Andrews and Paris before being appointed as tutor to an illegitimate son of James V.
Imprisoned for writing a satire on the Franciscans, he escaped and fled to the continent where he continued to write and translate, but was later imprisoned again as a heretic in Portugal.
He returned to Scotland in 1561 where he became tutor to Mary, Queen of Scots.
He was intensely loyal to Mary until the murder of Darnley, in which she was heavily implicated, after which he actively campaigned against her.
When Mary was brought to trial, he had a hand in preparing the famous "Casket Letters" which led to her execution.
He then became tutor to Mary's son, James VI.
James was undoubtedly one of the most educated kings of Scots thanks to Buchanan, but was so afraid of his tutor that by the time Buchanan died, he had grown to dislike him intensely.
Buchanan is buried in Greyfriars' Churchyard in Edinburgh. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this 29th day in 1952 John Cobb made an attempt at the world water-speed record on Loch Ness which ended in tragedy as the boat crashed and Cobb was killed.
Cobb was a racing driver who had broken the land speed record in 1938, 1939, and 1947, when he became the first man ever to attain a speed of 400 miles per hour on land.
In 1952 he made an attempt on the water speed record.
On his first run, he became the first person to break the 200 miles per hour barrier, but his boat crashed shortly afterwards and he was killed.
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On this day in 1902 William Topaz McGonagall, died.
McGonagall has earned the title of "World's Worst Poet".
During the Dundee holiday week of 1877, he 'discovered' himself to be a poet and published his first book of verse in 1878, a collection which included his poem The Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay.
He became well known in Scotland, giving readings and recitations, but he was often booked simply to amuse the audience at his expense.
He was frequently the butt of jokes of students at the University of Edinburgh who encouraged him to take himself seriously.
He remained convinced that he was a poetic genius and tried to seek success in both London and, in 1887, New York.
He was unable to find work and eventually had to ask a friend to send him the return fare. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this the 30th day in 1813 John Rae, explorer and surveyor of Canada's northern coastline was born in Orkney.
Several Orkney born explorers worked in the Canadian Arctic in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company, but Rae was the most outstanding.
He received The Royal Geographical Society's Founder's Gold Medal in 1852 for the scientific results of his first two explorations, but it is for the achievements on his third journey that he is best remembered.
In 1845, John Franklin had disappeared trying to find the North West Passage.
Several attempts to locate the party were made, but in 1854 Rae discovered the first traces of the Franklin expedition.
All members of the expedition had died either due to hunger or cold.
He used the reward money he received for locating the missing explorers to buy a schooner and spent the next few years doing survey work in Canada, mostly for the overland telegraph.
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On this day in 1928, Alexander Fleming announced of the discovery of penicillin.
Born in Ayrshire in 1881, Fleming qualified from medical school in 1906 after which he became a bacteriologist.
In 1928, Fleming was studying staphylococci bacteria at St Mary's Hospital in London, having returned there after service in the Medical Corps during the war.
He noticed that an accidental growth of mould, identified as Penicillium notatum, inhibited growth of the bacteria.
He named it penicillin.
Although he was aware of the significance of his find, he was unable to produce a large enough quantity of penicillin to use on humans as he did not have the means to isolate the active compound.
12 years later, Chain and Florey developed a production method, spurred on by the need for antibacterial drugs created by World War II.
Fleming was knighted in 1944, and he shared the Nobel Prize with Chain and Florey in 1945. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today in 1999, Lena Zavaroni, Scottish pop singer, died.
Born in Rothesay, she won the public's affection after appearing on Opportunity Knocks aged only 10.
The pressures of success at such a young age surely contributed to her untimely death at the age of 35, after a long battle with severe anorexia nervosa.
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On this day in 1763 the contract to build Edinburgh's North Bridge was signed.
The main link between the Old and New Towns, the original bridge was finished in 1772.
Although it was hailed as an engineering triumph, it was also seen as a symbol of the increasing social separation between the squalid Old Town and the affluent New Town. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this day in 1947 the paddle steamer Waverley was launched from A. & J. Inglis's yard on the Clyde.
The Waverley is the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world.
She was in danger of de-comissionning in the early 70s, but in 1974 she was bought by enthusiasts from the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society for the bargain price of one pound from owners CalMac.
She underwent a major rebuild in 2000, and passengers can still cruise the Clyde from Glasgow to Dunoon and the isles of Bute and Arran during the summer months.
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Today in 1854 the pioneer of modern urban sociology, Patrick Geddes, was born in Ballater.
Along with Adam Ferguson, Geddes founded modern sociology and urban planning.
Originally a botanist, it was when his sight became temporarily damaged during a trip to Mexico that he turned his attention to human society instead of the microscope, especially the problems of urban squalor in Edinburgh's Old Town.
His background in ecology meant that he looked at the field from an unusual angle and led to some particularly original ideas.
His theories have been globally influential - Roosevelt's New Deal policy contained more than a little of Geddes' influence. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this 3rd day in 1357, the Treaty of Berwick was signed, freeing David II from imprisonment by the English.
The son and heir of Robert the Bruce, David's reign was plagued by misfortune.
He took the throne at a very young age and a series of regents were appointed, each of whom ended up dead.
By the time he was old enough to reign, Scotland's nobles had become unruly, accustomed to having no king.
He was then taken prisoner after losing the battle of Neville's Cross to the English, and was only released 11 years later with the agreement of a huge ransom.
Despite this burden, and the troublesome nobles, the last years of his reign were peaceful - it seems David was a wise, if unlucky, king.
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Today in 1999 Alastair Hetherington, Scottish journalist, died.
Editor of The Guardian from 1956-75, Hetherington was pivotal in the transformation of the regional Manchester Guardian into the national "Guardian", first by moving the printing to London, and then by removing the word "Manchester" from its masthead. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today in 1821 saw the death of John Rennie, the famous engineer who constructed the Crinan Canal.
Rennie was one of the greatest civil engineers of his era.
His pioneering use of materials, combined with the soundness of his technical and commercial judgements on the largest and most novel projects of the time, mark him out as almost unique.
Apart from Crinan Canal, he was responsible for designing a host of great civil works, from London Bridge to Leith Docks.
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Today in 1883 the Boys' Brigade was founded in Glasgow by Sir William Alexander Smith.
A Sunday School teacher and an officer in the army, his stated object was, "the advancement of God's Kingdom among boys and the promotion of habits of reverence, discipline, self-respect, and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness".
The first uniformed youth organisation in the world, from one small company of 35 boys it has grown into a worldwide organisation with companies in over 60 countries. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
5th October 1922 saw the birth of Jock Stein, famous Scottish football manager.
Stein was manager of Celtic between 1965 and 1978, during which time it was one of the most successful clubs in Europe, and in 1967 became the first British club to win the European Cup.
He managed the national squad from 1978-85, and it was after Scotland's 1-1 draw with Wales in a World Cup qualifier that he collapsed and died from a heart attack. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today 6th October in 1811 Ebenezer Henderson formed the first Congregational church in Sweden.
He had not intended a trip to Scandinavia - after waiting some time in Denmark for a passage to India, he decided to stay, and spent many years travelling throughout Scandinavia and Russia, giving out bibles translated into local languages _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this day in 1796 Thomas Reid, Scottish philosopher, died.
An important Enlightenment figure, Reid founded the Scottish school of "commonsense philosophy", a reaction against the sceptical empiricism of David Hume.
He is also well known for his criticisms of Locke's view of personal identity, as well as Hume's view of causation.
However, Reid also wrote on a wide variety of other topics including ethics, aesthetics and the philosophy of mind. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today in 1774 the Rev. Henry Duncan, founder of the first ever savings bank, was born at Lochrutton.
A great champion of the poor, he set the bank up in his parish of Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire.
At the time, other banks required a ten pound minimum deposit, making them completely out of reach for the vast majority of the populace.
The savings banks only required a minimum of sixpence, and 1% of the interest of the combined deposits went to a charity fund.
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Today in 1515 saw the birth of Margaret Douglas, countess of Lennox.
Granddaughter of King Henry VII of England, niece of Henry VIII, and cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, Margaret was a leading Roman Catholic and an inveterate intriguer during the reign of Elizabeth.
Her designs to set a member of her family on the throne were eventually realised when her grandson, James VI of Scotland, succeeded to the English throne as James I.
The portrait features her son, Henry, Lord Darnley, father of James. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today in 1995 the Scottish Conservative policitian, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, died.
The aristocrat, who entered No.10 from the Lords and lasted less than a year, was the last Premier to "emerge" from a mysterious system of consultations dubbed the "Magic Circle". His appointment, on the advice of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan from his hospital bed, caused a furore. Two leading Tories refused to serve in his administration and he later scrapped the appointment process, introducing leadership election ballots.
He was the only man since the Marquess of Salisbury in 1895 to become Premier from the House of Lords. He resigned his six peerages just four days later and, after a by-election, returned to the Commons as MP for Kinross and West Perthshire. His short-lived period of office lasted less than a year from October 1963 to October 1964, spanning the period of the assassination of US President, John F.Kennedy. Following his resignation, he took the title, Lord Home of the Hirsel. _________________ FOA BOB -
On this the 14th day in 1788 the first steamboat experiment was held on Dalswinton Loch.
Robert Burns was farming at Ellisland, just outside Dumfries, when he was invited by his landlord, Patrick Miller, to go out in a small experimental steamboat.
The boat, which was fitted with an engine designed by William Symington, was the first paddle-propelled steamboat in the world, and Robert Burns was one of its first passengers.
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Today in 1285 Yolande, the youngest daughter of France's Robert IV, married Alexander III, King of Scots, in Jedburgh.
Alexander's first wife, Margaret, died in 1275 after bearing him three children who had also died young, so he (and the rest of the country) were desperate for an heir.
It was while returning to his young second wife from Council in Edinburgh that Alexander fell from his horse at Kinghorn and died.
Once it became clear she was not pregnant, Yolande was shipped back to France.
Alexander's death was a tragedy for Scotland: the throne was left without an obvious successor, and the resulting lack of leadership ultimately led to years of bloodshed and oppression at the hands of Edward I. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this the 15th day in 1880 Dr Marie Stopes, founder of first modern birth control clinic, was born in Edinburgh.
Stopes was originally a palaeontologist of some renown, but it was in the field of family planning that she became a somewhat controversial public figure.
After a failed marriage was annulled she wrote a book on birth control and sexual technique, Married Love (1918).
Though praised by medical journals, it enraged churchmen and the greater medical establishment, who mistakenly thought she supported loose morals.
Apart from directly educating thousands of women, the scandal she created undoubtedly had a positive effect on society by forcing discussion of taboo subjects.
She later opened a clinic and spent years teaching women about the merits of birth control, and though she had many enemies, she also had many important supporters, including Lloyd George.
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Today in 1915 HMS Hawke was sunk off the northeast coast of Scotland by a U-boat.
A torpedo struck the ship's magazine, and the resulting huge explosion damaged the Hawke so severely that she sank in eight minutes, leaving only 60 or so survivors. More than 400 of her crew perished.
_________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this the 15th day in 1880 Dr Marie Stopes, founder of first modern birth control clinic, was born in Edinburgh.
Stopes was originally a palaeontologist of some renown, but it was in the field of family planning that she became a somewhat controversial public figure.
After a failed marriage was annulled she wrote a book on birth control and sexual technique, Married Love (1918).
Though praised by medical journals, it enraged churchmen and the greater medical establishment, who mistakenly thought she supported loose morals.
Apart from directly educating thousands of women, the scandal she created undoubtedly had a positive effect on society by forcing discussion of taboo subjects.
She later opened a clinic and spent years teaching women about the merits of birth control, and though she had many enemies, she also had many important supporters, including Lloyd George.
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Today in 1915 HMS Hawke was sunk off the northeast coast of Scotland by a U-boat.
A torpedo struck the ship's magazine, and the resulting huge explosion damaged the Hawke so severely that she sank in eight minutes, leaving only 60 or so survivors. More than 400 of her crew perished.
_________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On 16th October in 1430 King James II was born.
Another of Scotland's boy kings, he was crowned aged only 6, and, after a quite horrific childhood at the hands of various scheming nobles and regents, at the age of 19 James took control of the country.
He married well, and quickly proved himself a strong, confident king: his wife, Mary of Gueldres, was an intelligent woman from a sophisticated and rich Flanders family.
She bore him three healthy children, and it was doubtless partly her influence that led to his strength in dealing with the many troublesome nobles, especially a long-running bloody battle with the powerful "black Douglas" family.
He made many sound political moves, creating alliances, and ruthlessly dealing with those who opposed him, as was necessary to rule effectively.
However, James's interest in artillery ultimately led to his early demise, as he was killed aged only 30 at a siege when a cannon exploded.
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Today in 1774 saw the death of Robert Fergusson, poet, in the Edinburgh Bedlam.
Though they never met, Robert Burns was greatly influenced and inspired by the works and life of this young poet whose potential was never fulfilled.
A notorious drinker and carouser, his mental state deteriorated after a period of religious obsession and he was committed to the nightmarish asylum, where he died aged only 24.
Twelve years later Burns arranged for the erection of a headstone at Fergusson's unmarked grave in the Canongate Kirkyard, and the tragedy of his untimely death helped to hasten the reform of the terrible asylum's conditions. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today in 1850 James Young obtained the patent for the extraction of paraffin from shale.
The products created in his Lothian works had a wide range of applications, from waxes for lamp fuel and waterproofing to oils and naphtha for the textiles and dry-cleaning industries, meaning that Young's business was a huge success.
It employed 13,000 men at its height and earned the Glasgow-born chemist the nickname "paraffin Young".
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On this day in 1995 the bridge to the Isle of Skye opened.
Though it remains controversial, there is no doubt that the graceful bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh to Skye is more convenient than the ferries it replaces.
The resulting increase in traffic to the island has been beneficial to inhabitants, both by increasing the amount of money coming in and by allowing them easier access to the mainland.
However, the undeniably high level of the tolls of this privately-run enterprise has led to anger and protest from many islanders, and there have even been discussions of a buyback of the bridge from the private sector by the Scottish Executive.
_________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
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