Today in 1688 William of Orange landed in southwest England.
Protestant statesmen had invited William to come to Britain and rule in place of the Catholic James II, ending the persecution of the Covenanters.
James fled to France, and the following year William and his wife Mary (the eldest daughter of Charles I) were crowned as joint sovereigns.
William's victory over James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 effectively ended James' hopes of restoration to the throne, and the Jacobite cause was born.
William died in 1702, to be succeeded by his late wife's sister Anne, with whose death in 1714 the Stewart dynasty ended.
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Today in 1879 saw the death aged 48 of James Clerk Maxwell, one of the greatest mathematicians and physicists of the 19th century.
Born in Edinburgh, Clerk Maxwell was professor at Aberdeen and London.
He is most famous for using a few relatively simple equations to describe the behaviour of electric and magnetic fields and their interrelated nature: these are known today as the Maxwell equations.
He also showed that electromagnetic waves propagate at the speed of light, proving that light itself is a form of electromagnetic radiation, and paving the way for later technological innovations like radio and X-rays. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this day in 1887 Celtic Football Club was formally constituted in Calton.
The club was the brainchild of an energetic Irish priest known as Brother Walfrid who devoted his life to helping the poor.
Following the success of Edinburgh's Hibernian club, it was decided that the poor inhabitants of Glasgow's East End would benefit from a similar Irish team, and the first Celtic Park was established on a vacant lot next to St Mary's church.
Leishman
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Today in 1885 saw the birth of Sir William Leishman, Scottish bacteriologist.
Leishman discovered the protozoan parasite responsible for 'dumdum fever', now known as Leishmaniasis.
He also developed the clinical technique known as the Leishman stain, which is still used today to detect protozoan parasites such as plasmodium (the cause of malaria).
He is also noted for his work with Sir Almroth Wright on the vaccine for typhoid. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today in 1974 Eric Linklater, the novelist and playright, died.
Although born in Wales, Linklater always considered himself an Orcadian, and commanded the Orkney garrison during the Second World War.
Perhaps his greatest work is 'Magnus Merriman,' a political satire based on his own unsuccessful campaign as a National Party of Scotland candidate. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this day in 1736 the poet and playwright Allan Ramsay opened Scotland's first public theatre in Carrubber's Close, Edinburgh.
Unfortunately the strict Presbyterian Kirk's disapproval was swiftly felt as magistrates declared Ramsay's theatre illegal soon after it opened, forcing its closure.
The theatre was not reopened until 1767 when David Ross, a London actor, managed to fulfil Ramsay's dream.
As well as theatre, Ramsay had a passion for books, and indeed was responsible for providing Edinburgh residents with the world's first lending library from his bookshop on the Royal Mile.
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Today in 1866 Ramsay MacDonald, Britain's first Labour Prime Minister, died.
He passed away while on holiday aboard the ocean liner Reina del Pacifico.
McDonald was from very humble beginnings and had no secondary education, but was a rousing speaker.
In January 1924 he formed Labour's first administration in coalition with the Liberals.
His appointment of Red Clydesider and fellow Scot John Wheatley as Health Minister raised hopes of social change.
Wheatley's 1924 Housing Act attempted to introduce a programme of slum clearance and subsidised housing, but it died with the Conservative victory in the October General Election.
Fear of Bolshevism played a large part in the downfall of MacDonald's first government.
MacDonald returned to power in 1929, but when he sided with Conservatives in 1931 over planned spending cuts he lost the support of his party. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
In the last post eh sayed that :-
"Today in 1866 Ramsay MacDonald, Britain's first Labour Prime Minister, died".
Noo the man was truely an amazing man coz efter that eh sayed:-
"Due to Labour probably exhibiting its penchant for unworthy leaders, he managed to rise from the grave and form a government in 1924."
Noo eh dinna ken aboot you, but eh think that is impossible whut aboot you?
So eh would guess that he was "BORN in 1866. LOL
Here is the correction to the story.
Born. Lossiemouth, Scotland, 12 Oct. 1866; Died 9 Nov. 1937 _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this day in 1953 the Royal Yacht 'Britannia' left the Clydebank shipyards to begin her speed trials.
Built by John Brown's shipbuilders, she was famously luxurious and entertained countless dignitaries in opulent style.
The Britannia carried the royal family on more than 1000 visits to over 600 countries.
After being decommissioned in 1997, it was decided to berth the ship at Leith where she is now a major tourist attraction.
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Today in 2001 Dorothy Dunnett, the cult Scottish novelist, died.
The writer of intricate and meticulously researched historical novels, she attracted a devoted following with her multi-volume sagas.
Her novels included the million-word Lymond Chronicles, in six volumes, which covered 15 years in the life of a 16th-century Scottish aristocrat, Francis Crawford of Lymond. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On November 10 1871 the journalist Henry M Stanley found the missing Scottish missionary David Livingstone.
Rumours were circulating that the explorer had been murdered.
The New York Herald sent Stanley to find the truth, and indeed he did, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, where he uttered the immortal line, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
Livingstone's tales of his adventures in Africa were a revelation to 19th century Western society which knew very little about the continent at the time.
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Today in 1955 a huge fire tore through the boot and shoe warehouse of CW Carr Aitkman in Jeffrey Street, Edinburgh.
The building was completely destroyed. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today in 1918 was Armistice Day, marking the end of hostilities in World War I.
The guns were finally silenced on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Though Scots made up only 10% of the UK population at the time, a total of 147,609 Scottish people were killed during the war, a fifth of Britain's total dead.
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Today is Martinmas, Scottish Quarter Day.
The feast of St Martin of Tours was traditionally the day for slaughtering livestock and salting it for preservation through the winter. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this day in 1869 Edinburgh University first admitted women to the study of medicine.
Sophia Jex-Blake and her friend Edith Pechy were the first to attend the prestigious medical school.
Though Jex-Blake passed her exams, she was not allowed to graduate as regulations prevented women from actually serving on the wards.
Petitions to the management failed to convince them to change the rules.
Jex-Blake eventually managed to obtain her licence from the Dublin College of Physicians, and devoted her life to promoting the cause of female medicine, together with an active role in the women's suffrage movement. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today in 1850 saw the birth of Robert Louis Stevenson, author and poet, in Edinburgh's New Town.
He is perhaps best loved for creating the lastingly popular adventure stories Kidnapped and Treasure Island, though he also wrote the darkly complex novel Jekyll and Hyde - the archetypal tale of conflicting alter egos was inspired by the well-known story of Edinburgh figure Deacon Brodie, who was a respectable citizen by day and a thief and murderer at night.
Stevenson was plagued by tuberculosis for most of his life, and he travelled extensively to seek respite in warmer climes, making many of the observations which informed his writing.
He died in Samoa, aged only 44.
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On this day in 1968 Joe Corrie, playwright, novelist and poet, died in Edinburgh.
A former Fife miner, he turned to full-time writing and his 3-act play "In Time of Strife", set in the extreme hardship of a mining strike in the 1930s, toured Scotland with great success. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today in 1770 the adventurer James Bruce reportedly discovered the source of the Nile in north-west Ethiopia.
Bruce traveled extensively through north Africa in search of the river's source, even becoming a respected friend of the Abyssinian royal family, and in 1790 he published a lengthy account of his travels.
Due to a self-confidence bordering on arrogance he made many enemies, notably Samuel Johnson, who criticised his writings and cast doubt on their veracity.
Very little was known about Africa at the time, and this lent credence to the claims that Bruce had embellished his account.
Although he turned out to be mistaken about the source of the Nile, the descriptions of his travels in Africa have since proven largely accurate.
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On this day in 1797 Sir Charles Lyell, the important Scottish geologist, was born.
In his seminal work, Principles of Geology, he challenged the dominant thinking of the time which was based on the biblical viewpoint.
Building on the ideas of James Hutton, by careful observation he concluded that the Earth's physical features and its inhabitants were the result of continuous physical and chemical processes occurring gradually over long periods of geological time.
Lyell's theory was revolutionary and infuriated the devout majority.
He later supported Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this day in 1996 the Stone of Destiny was finally returned to Scotland.
Legend has it that the stone is a relic from the Holy Land and once belonged to the biblical Jacob.
Whether this is true is doubtful to say the least, but from an early date the kings of Scotland were inaugurated sitting on a royal chair with the stone in its base.
In 1296 Edward I removed the stone and installed it at Westminster Abbey.
It remained there until it was kidnapped by Scottish nationalist students in 1951.
They managed to hide the stone in Scotland for four months until it was found and returned to Westminster.
It was moved from there to Edinburgh Castle in 1996 amid much celebration.
Murdock
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Today in 1839 William Murdock, the Scottish engineer, died.
Murdock invented coal-gas lighting, the first new form of lighting in the industrial age.
It remained the principal form of illumination until Edison's invention of electric lighting 100 years later.
He was a close friend and associate of James Watt. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today in 1700 James Macpherson, the famous fiddling freebooter, was hanged at Banff.
The town clock was said to have been advanced to forestall a messenger carrying a reprieve for his hanging.
Legend has it that before the notorious outlaw musician was hanged for sheep and cattle stealing he treated the crowd to one of his own compositions, "Macpherson's Rant," and then broke the fiddle over his knee.
When Burns heard of the tale he wrote the song "Macpherson's Farewell".
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On this day in 1093 St. Margaret of Scotland died.
A leading member of the English Anglo-Saxon royal family and Queen Consort of Malcolm III Canmore, King of Scots, it was largely through her influence that the Scottish Celtic Church was brought into conformity with Roman Catholic Europe.
Her daughter married Henry I of England and united the old royal line with that of the new Norman dynasty which had been established by William The Conqueror. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On November 17 1292 John Balliol acceded to Scottish throne.
Following the premature death of Margaret, "the Maid of Norway" and heiress to the Scottish crown, thirteen claimants to the throne had appealed to Edward I to choose which of them should be the next Scottish king.
On this date, Edward awarded the crown to John Balliol, as he seemed the easiest man to manipulate.
Edward's price for adjudicating was recognition of his overlordship of Scotland.
Balliol and the other claimants had agreed to this, but it soon began to cause problems when the scale of the demands became clear.
John rebelled and Edward forced him to abdicate.
War ensued.
Scotland remained without a true king until Robert the Bruce, the grandson of one of Balliol's rival claimants, took the crown in 1306.
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On this day in 1823 Lord Erskine, the Lord Chancellor, died.
During his lifetime he became Britain's foremost advocate through his defence of people accused of treason and corruption.
His defence of Thomas Paine, accused of high treason for his Republican treatise 'The Rights of Man', cost him his position as Attorney General to the Prince of Wales.
Later, Erskine totally alientated George IV by defending Queen Caroline against her husband's attempt to deprive her of her rights and title. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
Today in 1785 Sir David Wilkie, the Scottish painter, was born.
Son of the minister in the parish of Cults in Fife, Wilkie's talent was precocious: a self-portrait was painted when he was only 19, and indeed by the early age of 20 he had produced one of his most famous works, 'Pitlessie Fair'.
He sketched the faces of his Fife neighbours during church services to use in this work, and the accuracy of detail of real-life characters was a trait for which Wilkie was renowned.
He became one of the most sought-after society portrait painters of his day.
His detailed paintings of events mean that his pictures are often used for historic illustrations, most notably his painting of John Knox preaching in the pulpit.
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On 18 November 1998 Robin Hall, the Scottish folk singer and musician, died.
Hall achieved national fame in the sixties along with fellow Scot, Jimmie Macgregor, on the BBC TV show, Tonight.
Hits included The Mingulay Boat Song and schoolboy favourite, Ye Cannae Shove Yer Grannie Aff a Bus. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On this day in 1976 Sir Basil Spence, Scottish architect, died.
Basil Spence is arguably the most internationally renowned 20th-century British architect, known principally for his breathtaking work rebuilding Coventry Cathedral.
Born in India, he was the son of an Orcadian and was sent home to have his schooling at George Watson's College in Edinburgh.
Spence was an eclectic architect whose work ranged from vernacular-styled fisherman's dwellings in Dunbar to opulent traditional country houses to ultra-modern pieces like the Edinburgh University library.
He has been compared to Robert Adam by some for his detailed attention to interiors. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On 20 November 1863 James Bruce, 8th Lord Elgin, the Scottish Liberal statesman and diplomat, died.
During his career he served as Governor-General of Canada, 1847-54, and India, 1862-63 and was special envoy to China and Japan.
During a visit to China he burnt down the emperor's famous Summer Palace in Beijing, destroying thousands of priceless works of art, in order to intimidate the emperor and force him to sign an unratified treaty.
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William Blackwood's shop in Edinburgh
On 20 November 1776 William Blackwood, the noted Scottish publisher and bookseller was born.
He was the founder of the firm of 'William Blackwood & Sons Ltd', and also published the conservative satirical periodical, 'Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine'. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
, the poet known as the Ettrick shepherd, died in Ettrick.
Hogg is primarily known today not only as the author of a series of pastoral poems, but also as the writer of the novel, Confessions of a Justified Sinner, widely regarded as the first piece of modern Scottish fiction.
A contrary figure in real life, Hogg almost bankrupted himself in attempts to be a successful shepherd - leading to his literary friends dubbing him "the Ettrick Shepherd".
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On this day in 1880 Sir Alexander Cockburn, the celebrated Scottish jurist, died.
Cockburn served as Lord Chancellor of England & Wales between 1874 and 1880.
Although he had filled the position since 1859, he was the first person to be legally defined so.
His definition of obscenity was used by the British and American legal systems until 1933, when it was rejected in America in a case involving the James Joyce' novel, 'Ulysses'.
He also gave a landmark ruling on the definition of criminal insanity. _________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
On November 22 1515 Mary of Guise, the French Queen Consort of James V, was born.
She was an astute and capable stateswoman who was regent of Scotland during the minority reign of her daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots.
However, in spite of being a member of the de Guise family, the champions of Roman Catholicism in France during the French wars of religion, she was unable to stop the Scottish Protestant Reformation, which began during her reign.
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22 November 1926 saw the publication of A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle by Hugh MacDiarmid, Scotland's Greatest Twentieth Century poet.
MacDiarmid was the principal character in the forming of the Scottish Renaissance of the inter-war years and a founder member of the National Party of Scotland.
_________________ Yir nivir to auld tae learn! Wee John.
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