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APRIL
Apr 21, 2006 6:24:40 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 21, 2006 6:24:40 GMT 10
April 23
April 23 1124 King Alexander I died at Stirling Castle, succeeded by David I.
April 23 1661 Charles II crowned at Westminster Abbey.
April 23 1945 Blackout restrictions lifted as World War II heads to a conclusion.
April 23 1968
The new 5p and 10p decimal coins were introduced in anticipation of decimalisation (in 1971). They were used as one shilling and two shilling coins until then.
Today in 2001, Jan Sundberg, an explorer specialising in unusual species, arrived at Loch Ness in a bid to trap the legendary monster. The Swede planned to install a massive creel to catch Nessie, a move which led to Scottish Natural Heritage drawing up a voluntary code preventing environmental damage caused by monster hunters. Although recorded sightings of Nessie stretch back to the days of St Columba, the public obsession with Nessie really began with a sighting in 1933 by the late Donaldina Mackay. Since then the loch has been inundated with monster hunters, and many thousands have claimed to have spotted him in the waters of the loch.
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APRIL
Apr 21, 2006 6:29:59 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 21, 2006 6:29:59 GMT 10
April 24
April 24 1558 Mary, Queen of Scots, married French Dauphin, Francis Valois (he was aged 14) at Notre Dame in Paris.
April 24 1567 First printed book ever published in Gaelic. It was "Forms of Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Catechism of the Christian Faith," translated from English by Bishop John Carsewell of the Isles.
On 24th April, 1633, Sir John Hepburn raised a regiment of 1200 men which ultimately became the Royal Scots. A warrant from the Privy Council ordered Hepburn to raise the regiment to fight in the French service. The recruits came mainly from Scottish mercenaries of Gustavus Aldolphus in the Thirty Years' War.
April 24 1825 Novelist R M Ballantyne, who wrote 90 books, the best known of which was "The Coral Island," was born in Edinburgh.
Today in 1882, Air Chief Marshal Hugh, Lord Dowding, was born. Chief of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, Dowding was opposed to Government proposals to send most of the fighter command to France in May 1940. He was instrumental in keeping RAF squadrons in Britain where, in September 1940, they defeated the Luftwaffe.
April 24 1949 Chocolate and sweets were no longer rationed, a measure introduced at the start of World War 2. However, demand was so great that it had to be re-introduced.
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APRIL
Apr 26, 2006 3:13:27 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 26, 2006 3:13:27 GMT 10
April 25
April 25 1058 Malcolm III (Canmore) crowned.
Today is the anniversary of the birth in 1710 of James Ferguson, the Scottish astronomer. Ferguson pioneered the popularisation of astronomy as a science through his internationally best-selling work, "Astronomy Explained on Sir Isaac Newton's Principles".
On this day in 1946, the Royal Navy's last battleship, HMS Vanguard, was accepted for trials by the navy. The ship was built at John Brown's in Clydebank. It was originally intended to be part of the Far Eastern Fleet fighting the Japanese but was not completed until after the war, and so became the only British battleship never to fire her guns in anger.
April 25 2001 Motorola factory in Bathgate closes with the loss of 3,100 jobs.
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APRIL
Apr 26, 2006 3:17:31 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 26, 2006 3:17:31 GMT 10
April 26
The Scottish philosopher Thomas Reid was born on this day in 1710. Reid founded the Scottish school of "common sense philosophy" in reaction against David Hume's teachings of sceptical empiricism. His most noted work, titled 'An Enquiry into the Human Mind, on the Principles of Common Sense', was published in 1764. It considered "common sense" in linguistic, metaphysical and mundane contexts, and blended philosophy and science. Hume's response to Reid's critique was a recommendation that Reid avoid "Scottishisms" and improve his English.
April 26 1711 Philosopher David Hume born.
April 26 1826 Robert Adamson, who collaborated with D O Hill to produce early portrait photography, born.
Today is the anniversary of the birth, in 1898, of John Grierson, the Scottish film director and producer. Grierson was a pioneer of documentary filmmaking, and founder of the British documentary film movement in 1926. He is credited with being the first person to use the word 'documentary', from the French 'documentaire', which was used to describe travelogues, in an article he wrote about Robert Flaherty's film, "Moana". In 1933, Grierson began working for the GPO's film unit, during which time he produced two of the most famous films in British documentary history: "Song of Ceylon" and "Night Mail". In 1939, he left for Canada, where he set up the National Film Board of Canada.
April 26 1923 Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon married the Duke of York at Westminster Abbey, the first Royal wedding to take place there since 1383. The couple later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
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APRIL
Apr 27, 2006 3:10:44 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 27, 2006 3:10:44 GMT 10
April 27
On this day in 1296, the Scottish army was routed in the Battle of Dunbar by Edward I, King of England. Hostilities started when the King of the Scots, John Balliol, renounced his allegiance to the English Crown. The battle became known as the "Dunbar Drave".
April 27 1650 Battle of Carbisdale, Montrose's last battle.
James Bruce, the Scottish explorer, died on this day in 1794. Bruce became the first European to discover Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile, in 1770. His experiences were described in the classic "Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile", published in 1790.
April 27 1931 First meeting of the National Trust for Scotland which was formally incorporated on the following 1 May
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APRIL
Apr 27, 2006 3:15:40 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 27, 2006 3:15:40 GMT 10
April 28
April 28 1742 Henry Dundas, powerful politician, known as "Uncrowned King of Scotland, born.
April 28 1898 Poet William Soutar born in Perth.
The poet, William Soutar, author of "The Diaries of a Dying Man", was born in Perth on this day in 1898. After changing from studying medicine to literature, Soutar's first volume of poetry, "Gleanings of an Undergraduate", was published in 1923, within a year of his graduation from Edinburgh University. Soutar suffered from a gradual immobilising illness, ankylosing spondilitis, and from November 1930 he was permanently confined to bed. He spent his bed-bound days composing poetry, escaping through his imagination, and holding court to his many visitors and fellow writers, dressed in jacket and bow tie. Soutar died from tuberculosis in October 1943, at the age of 45. The house where he lived and composed his poetry, the 'Soutar Hoose' in Perth, is now home to a writer in residence.
Sir Alexander MacKenzie, the Scottish composer and conductor, died in 1935. Mackenzie conducted the British premieres of Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, and Borodin's Second Symphony. His noted choral works included the cantata, 'The Bride', the opera, 'Colomba', and the oratorio, 'The Rose of Sharon'.
April 28 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival opened by Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales.
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APRIL
Apr 29, 2006 6:26:11 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 29, 2006 6:26:11 GMT 10
April 29
The Scottish mathematician, physicist and author John Arbuthnot was born on this day in 1667. A friend of Johnathan Swift and Alexander Pope, Arbuthnot popularised the character of John Bull as the proto-typical Englishman, following the publication of the 'History of John Bull', although he may not have invented the character.
Lonnie Donegan, the Scottish skiffle singer, composer and guitarist, was born on this day in 1931. Considered by some to be Britain's first pop superstar, James Anthony Donegan burst onto the scene in the mid-1950s with a distinctive, lively sound called "skiffle", which was based loosely on American folk music. His first big hit, "Rock Island Line", achieved the then rare distinction of soaring up the US hit parade, and he was rarely out of the charts from then until 'The Beatles' era . Donegan's hits included "Does Your Chewing Lose Its Flavour", "My Old Man's A Dustman", "Cumberland Gap" and "Puttin' On The Style".
April 29 1977 Scottish Aviation becomes part of British Aerospace.
April 29 1988 Actor Andrew Cruickshank, died.
April 29 1990 Stephen Hendry, aged 21, becomes the youngest world snooker champion by beating Jimmy White 18-12 in the final.
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APRIL
Apr 29, 2006 6:31:51 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 29, 2006 6:31:51 GMT 10
April 30
April 30 1728 Royal Bank invents first overdraft, Wm Hogg overdraws by £1,000 (£66,000 at today's money).
James Montgomery, the Scottish poet and hymnwriter, died on the 30th April 1854. He was the author of many well-known hymns, including 'Lift Up Your Heads Ye Gates of Brass', 'Hail to the Lord's Anointed' and 'Angels From the Realms of Glory'. Montgomery's poems include 'The World' and 'The Wanderer of Switzerland'.
On this day in 1873, David Livingstone, the renowned Scottish missionary and explorer, died. Born in Blantyre, Livingstone was famed for his exploration of central and southern Africa. He was the first European to see Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The mysterious whereabouts of Livingstone in Africa became the subject of the famous search by Henry Morton Stanley.
April 30 1891 An Comunn Gaidhealach was formally instituted as a vehicle for the preservation and development of the Gaelic language.
April 30 1940 Free French Destroyer "Maillr Breze" explodes and sinks off Greenock.
April 30 1995 Stephen Hendry wins the World Snooker Championship for the fourth time in a row
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