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Post by LLady on Feb 10, 2006 23:08:18 GMT 10
February 11
On this day in 1659 William Carstares, the radical Scottish Presbyterian cleric was born. Carstares was exiled because of his involvement in the "Rye House Plot" to overthrow King Charles II. He became chaplain to William of Orange, and after the Glorious Revolution in 1688, he headed the Church of Scotland during the reigns of William and Mary, and later Queen Anne. Carstares was instrumental in securing Scottish support for the Act of Unification between England and Scotland. February 11 1800 William H Fox Talbot, pioneering photographer, born.
On February 11 1895 the coldest temperature ever in Scotland was recorded. The temperature recorded was -27.2C and the shivering place was Braemar.
February 11 1940 Author and politician John Buchan died in Canada.
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Post by LLady on Feb 11, 2006 4:23:06 GMT 10
February 12
Today in 1624 George Heriot, goldsmith to King James VI and founder of Heriot’s School, died. The school was originally founded as Heriot's Hospital, Edinburgh. He is thought to be the inspiration for the character, Georgie Heriot, in Sir Walter Scott's novel, Fortunes of Nigel.
Today in 1846 Rev Henry Duncan, founder of the world-wide savings bank movement, died near Ruthwell. Launched in a derelict cottage in 1810, the savings bank movement spread to 109 organisations in 92 countries. A man of varied talents, Duncan also became the first person in the country to identify fossil footprints and he was also responsible for the restoration of the medieval Ruthwell Cross.
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Post by LLady on Feb 14, 2006 3:31:23 GMT 10
February 13
February 13 858 Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Dalriada and the Picts, died at Forteviot.
February 13 1462 Treaty of Westminster-Ardtornish between the Lord of the Isles and Edward IV, the King of England.
On This Day in 1692, a Royalist force, under the command of Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon, carried out the Massacre of Glencoe. The massacre of 38 MacDonalds was carried out on direct orders from Dalrymple of Stair, orders which were counter-signed twice by King William. Scotland was shocked when news of the massacre reached the general public. Dalrymple lost his position but no action was taken against William and Dalrymple soon returned to favour. The massacre undoubtedly helped the Jacobites gain more support, particularly in the Highlands.
13 February 1728 saw the birth of John Hunter, the Scottish physician and anatomist. Surgeon-General to King George III, he is regarded as the founder of pathological anatomy in Britain and is also often considered a pioneer of scientific surgery. Hunter was the teacher of Edward Jenner, the inventor of vaccination.
February 13 1931 Scottish Youth Hostel Association formed.
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Post by LLady on Feb 14, 2006 3:34:51 GMT 10
February 14
On February 14 1565, Mary Queen of Scots met Lord Darnley for the first time. They were married in July 1565. Darnley did not prove to be the husband that Mary had hoped for however, and his participation in the murder of Mary's secretary, Rizzio, made their differences irreconcilable .
Today in 1876 Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone, patent no. 174461. Two hours after it was lodged, his rival, Elisha Gray, applied for a similar patent. Bell's was granted. Over 600 law suits followed before the Supreme Court decision ruled in Bell's favour in 1893. Within a year the first telephone exchange was built in Connecticut and within the decade more than 150,000 people in the US alone owned telephones. At this point Bell was not yet thirty. In his later life, Bell experimented with sheep, convinced that sheep with extra nipples would give birth to more lambs.
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Post by LLady on Feb 14, 2006 22:35:39 GMT 10
February 15
On February 15 1848 the Caledonian Railway company opened. The Caledonian Railway ran trains from London to Glasgow and was in fierce competition with the Edinburgh based North British Railway. Caledonian trains were painted a distinctive colour of blue, later called Caledonian blue, and carried the Royal Arms of Scotland on the trains. Later it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish group.
February 15 1971 Decimal currency introduced, abandoning 12 pennies to a shilling and 20 shillings to a pound
On February 15 1986 Scotland scored their biggest ever win against England in a rugby international. They won the game by 33-6 at Murrayfield, with Gavin Hastings scoring 21 points in the match.
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Post by LLady on Feb 14, 2006 22:39:53 GMT 10
February 16
Today in 1746 Government forces under Lord Louden attempted to capture Prince Charles Edward Stewart at Moy Hall. The plan was unsuccessful as the Hanoverians were surprised and routed by a handful of Jacobites. The only death in the Rout of Moy was Duncan Bam MacCrimmon, Hereditory Piper to the MacLeods of Dunvegan, who took the Hanoverian side in the '45.
Scots poet and novelist George Mann MacBeth died on this day in 1992. He is best known for his futuristic thriller the Testament of Spencer, set in a united Ireland.
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Post by LLady on Feb 17, 2006 4:21:07 GMT 10
February 17
February 17 1540 King James V passed a law which recognised Scotland's gipsies.
On February 17 1688 James Renwick, the last Covenanter martyr, was executed. He had been declared a rebel after renouncing his allegiance to Charles II in 1680 and declaring him a tyrant and usurper. He was ruthlessly pursued all over Scotland until finally he was caught and hanged.
On this day in 1796 poet, James MacPherson, died. He was the author of The Works of Ossian, Fingal and Temora, who gained international fame through his translations of early Gaelic poems. However, although they caused a sensation in Britain and Europe, where they were credited with influencing the European Romantic movement, he was also charged with composing the works himself. This accusation gave rise to the so-called 'Ossian controversy'. The true story behind the poems has never been resolved.
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Post by LLady on Feb 17, 2006 22:29:20 GMT 10
February 18
On this day in 1954 the writer Ian Banks was born in Dunfermline, Fife. His first novel, The Wasp Factory, established him as one of the most distinctive voices in Scottish literature. His 1996 novel, The Crow Road, spawned a very successful television adaptation. Banks is also a highly regarded science fiction writer under the name Iain M. Banks.
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Post by LLady on Feb 22, 2006 4:23:42 GMT 10
February 19
Today in 1314, James Douglas retook Roxburgh Castle and razed it to the ground. The Black Douglas, as he was known, and sixty men gained access to the castle by climbing the castle walls using hooked scaling ladders. 19 February 1972 saw the death of John Grierson, the film director and producer. He was a pioneer of documentary film making, and founder of the British documentary film movement. In 1926, he is credited with being the first person to use the word 'documentary', in an article he wrote about Robert Flaherty's film, "Moana", adapting it from the French word, 'documentaire', which was used to describe travelogues. In 1928, he founded the Empire Marketing Board, the first British film company devoted to documentaries. In 1933, he began working for the GPO's film unit, during which time he produced two of British cinema's most famous documentary films: "Song of Ceylon" and "Night Mail". In 1939, he left Britain for Canada, setting up the National Film Board of Canada. Grierson later produced the Oscar winning film "Seawards the Great Ships".
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Post by LLady on Feb 22, 2006 4:25:34 GMT 10
February 20
King James I was murdered in Perth, by a group led by Sir Robert Graham, today in 1437. Had it not been for his love of tennis James would have escaped his assassins. Fleeing his killers, he hid in the drain under his tennis court, however this offered no means of escape for the monarch, as he had only recently ordered it to be blocked after losing balls in it.
On 20 February 1472 Orkney and Shetland became part of Scotland. The islands were provided as security for the dowry of Princess Margaret, the prospective wife of James III of Scotland and daughter of King Christian of Norway and Denmark.
February 20 1951 Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer, born.
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Post by LLady on Feb 22, 2006 4:28:08 GMT 10
February 21 Today in 1842 the first intercity railway between Glasgow and Edinburgh was opened by Queen Victoria. The Scottish rail system was linked to the English network in 1848. On this day in 1945 Eric Liddell, winner of the 400 metres at the 1924 Olympics, died. Liddell was born to missionary parents in China and became a noted sportsman while studying at Edinburgh University. He was not only a top sprinter but a noted rugby player as well, representing Scotland on seven occasions. Liddell is most well known for his refusal to run in the heats of the 100 metres, his favoured distance, at the Paris Olympics, as they were being held on a Sunday, then going on to win in the 400 metres. After his retiral from athletics Liddell returned to the Far East as a missionary and died in a Japanese internment camp in China.
February 21 1952 Identity cards, introduced at a wartime security measure, were abolished in Britain.
February 21 2002 The all-Scots curling team won gold at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, watched by over 5 million TV viewers in the small hours of the morning.
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Post by LLady on Feb 24, 2006 4:45:54 GMT 10
February 22
Today in 1371, King David II died at Edinburgh Castle. David was the son of Robert I, and succeeded as King of Scots in 1329. He was soon faced with problems from his southern neighbour's new king Edward III. He invaded England in 1346, but suffered a humiliating defeat at Neville's Cross and was held as a prisoner by the English for eleven years. His unhappy reign was further compounded by his dying childless.
February 22 1371 King Robert II crowned.
February 22 1452 King James II killed William Douglas at Stirling.
Today in 1816, Dr.Adam Ferguson, the Scottish historian and philosopher died. A member of the so-called "common sense" school of philosophy he was the author of Principles of Moral and Political Science and History of the Roman Empire.
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