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August
Aug 15, 2006 6:33:14 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 15, 2006 6:33:14 GMT 10
August 13
August 13 1826 Explorer Alexander Gordon Laing became the first Christian to reach Timbuctu, Africa.
On 13 August 1867 Sir William Craigie, the Scottish lexicographer, was born. Craigie was regarded as the most eminent lexicographer of his day and spent from 1901-1933 as joint editor of the 'Oxford English Dictionary'. His other passion was the Scots language, and he proposed a "Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue" as early as 1919. He began work on it later in life but had not managed to complete the work at his death.
August 13 1888 Birth of John Logie Baird, developer of television.
On 13 August 1907 Scottish architect, Sir Basil Spence, was born. . Spence was actually born in India, but was educated and spent most of his adult life working in Edinburgh, initially working for Sir William Kininmonth at the practice of Rowand Anderson and Paul. With work ranging from private housing to commercial and public buildings Spenve became known as an architect who attracted controversy for his striking contemporary designs. Perhaps his best known works are the new Coventry Cathedral, and Knightsbridge barracks in London.
August 13 1957 Scotland's first nuclear power station at Dounreay went "critical" ushering in the generation of power from atomic reactions.
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August
Aug 15, 2006 6:36:48 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 15, 2006 6:36:48 GMT 10
August 14
August 14 1040 King Duncan I killed in battle at Pitgavney by Macbeth.
On this day in 1337 King Robert III was born at Scone Palace. Robert was actually baptised as John, but in Scotland this was considered as an unlucky name for a monarch. However, the name does not seem to have helped him any, after his coronation on August 14, 1390, he was described as 'feeble', 'timid' and 'unfit to rule.' By the time he actually acceded to the throne, Robert was fifty-three and severely disabled thanks to injuries received from a horse's kick. Real power during his reign was held by his younger brother, the Duke of Albany and his son, the Duke of Rothesay.
August 14 1390 King Robert III crowned at the Augustinian abbey of Scone.
August 14 1827 Foundation laid of George IV Bridge, Edinburgh. It was not completed until 1836 due to lack of funds.
On August 14, 1863 Colin Campbell, Field Marshal Lord Clyde, the noted Scottish soldier, died. Campbell was born Colin MacIver in Glasgow, but was partly adopted by his uncle, Col John Campbell, and when recieving his commission in the army his name was registered as Campbell. It seems even that the young officer was advised to assume the name of Campbell as a means of advancement in his army career. Campbell fought in every major campaign the British army was involved in from the Napoleonic War to the Crimea, and rose quickly through the ranks. His crowning moment was as Commander-in-Chief of the British forces during the Indian Mutiny, 1857. He was fondly regarded by his troops, particularly by the Highlanders under his command and it was these soldiers who held the famous 'Thin Red Line' during the Battle of Balaclava.
August 14 1964 University of Strathclyde was constituted in Glasgow, based on the Royal College of Science and Technology
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August
Aug 15, 2006 6:40:19 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 15, 2006 6:40:19 GMT 10
August 15
On this day in 1057 Scottish monarch, MacBeth, was killed at Lumphanan. MacBeth had siezed power by assassinating the incumbent king, Duncan, in August 1040. Duncan's two infant sons fled, Malcolm to Cumberland, and Donal to the Western Isles. MacBeth appears to have ruled the country well, and is regarded as one of the more successful Scottish kings, however there were always uprisings by the supporters of Duncan, and, when Malcolm secured the support of Edward the Confessor of England and secured victory over Macbeth at the Battle of Dunsinane, Macbeth's days were numbered.
Today in 1771 Sir Walter Scott, poet and novelist, was born in Edinburgh. Scott's first successes lay in the field of poetry, where his "The Lay of the Last Minstrel" brought him instant fame. However a series of bad business decisions, including those of buying a stake in both his printer and publisher. Both suffered during the crash of 1826 and Scott himself was bankrupted, and he died in 1832 having had to write furiously during the last years of his life to pay off his creditors.
August 15 1840 Foundation stone for the Monument to Sir Walter Scott laid in Princes Street Gardens.
On 15 August 1856 James Keir Hardie, the Labour statesman, was born. One of the founders of the Labour Party, he was the first Labour Parliamentary MP. Hardie stood as the Independent Labour MP for South West Ham between 1892 and 1895 and also as Labour MP for Merthyr between 1900 and 1915.
August 15 1963 The last hanging in Scotland - 21-year-old Henry Burnett who was executed at Craiginches Prison in Aberdeen for the murder of seaman Thomas Guyan.
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August
Aug 17, 2006 7:36:57 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 17, 2006 7:36:57 GMT 10
August 16
On 16 August 1766 Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne, was born in Gask, Perthshire. Although she remains little-known in Scotland today, Carolina Oliphant's songs are second only in popularity to Burns, writing such classics as "Will Ye No Come Back Again", "Charlie is my Darling" and "Wi 100 Pipers an’ a’". She was born into a staunchly Jacobite family and much of her songwriting reflects the political climate of the time.
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August
Aug 17, 2006 7:39:08 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 17, 2006 7:39:08 GMT 10
August 17
On 17 August 1424 French and Scots troops suffer defeat at the Battle of Verneuil at the hands of English forces. The Franco-Scottish army was commanded by John, the Earl of Buchan, and Archibald, Earl of Douglas. the battle was final attempt to dislodge the English from Normandy, and took place about 50 miles west of Paris. The battle consisted of about 15,000 French and Scottish forces attacking the English army of 9,000 commanded by the Duke of Bedford. Repeated franco-Scottish charges were sharply cut down by English longbowmen. About half the of the army were lost; the rest retreated. The overall result of the battle was the removal of the Scots as a major aid to the French cause.
August 17 1472 The see of St Andrews became an archbishopric by a bull of Pope Sixtius IV.
August 17/19 1648 Battle of Preston in which Duke of Hamilton at the head of an army of 20,000 crossed into England in support of Charles I. Scots defeated by Cromwell, 2,000 killed, 8,000 captured and Hamilton surrendered on 25 August (and beheaded in March 1649).
August 17 1822 Visit of George IV to Edinburgh began, orchestrated by Sir Walter Scott.
On 17 August 1876 James Drummond, Lord Perth, the Scottish statesman and diplomat, was born. Drummond is most notable as the First Secretary-General of the League of Nations, the abortive attempt to create an international arbriter after the First World War. Drummond served for fourteen years as Secretary-General between 1919and 1933. Drummond is credited with establishing an efficient international civil service of some 675 men and women, which ensured the smooth running of the League's two other main organs, the Council and the Assembly. After leaving the League Drummond served as British Ambassador to Italy, until 1939 and after the war he served as deputy leader of the Liberal Party until his death.
August 17 1947 First Edinburgh International Festival opened.
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August
Aug 20, 2006 1:40:41 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 20, 2006 1:40:41 GMT 10
August 18
On 18 August 1746 Arthur Elphinstone, Lord Balmerino, the Jacobite noble, was executed. Balmerino was captured along with Lord Kilmarnock after the Battle of Culloden and the pair were tried for treason in London and beheaded in the Tower of London. Earl Kilmarnock was especially unfortunate as he was executed due to the mistaken belief by the Duke of Cumberland that Kilmarnock had issued the order that no quarter be given to the English at Culloden. Kilmarnock had only sided with the Jacobites as he was facing bankruptcy and had been promised French gold for his support, he admitted this at his trial, pleading that "for the two kings and their rights, I cared not a farthing which prevailed; but I was starving...."
On 18 August 1864 Scottish suffragette, Elsie Inglis, was born at Naini Tal hill station in India. Inglis was a rare female medical graduate battling prejudice all the way, and founded a maternity hospital in Edinburgh, affectionately known as 'Elsie's'. However, she was not onlya reformer in the field of medecine, as, in 1906, she founded the Scottish Women's Suffrage Federation. During the First World War this Suffragette Federation organised medical teams to go to France, Serbia and Salonica as well as Russia. Inglis went to Serbia herself, where her efforts to improve hygiene reduced the typhus and other epidemics which had been raging there. In 1915 she was captured and then repatriated, but returned to work in Russia. The climate and long hours she imposed on herself led to a break down in her health and she was forced to return home to recuperate, unfortunately she was to die the day after landing at Newcastle. However 'Elsie's' stayed open as a hospital until 1988. August 18 1966 Tay Road Bridge opened.
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August
Aug 20, 2006 1:42:46 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 20, 2006 1:42:46 GMT 10
August 19
On 19 August 1560 the Scottish scholar and poet, James Crichton, was born. The son of the Lord Advocate of Scotland, he achieved fame in Italy, where his fluency in classical and modern languages and skill as fencer, horseman and debater earned him renown, overcoming the scholars of Padua in a four hour debate. However, in Mantua he was attacked and killed by the son of the local Duke, one of his own pupils. Known as the "admirable Crichton". Sir Thomas Urquhart's account of Crichton "Discovery of a Most Exquisite Jewel" was the first to refer to him as the "Admirable Crichton" and he is the subject of several novels.
August 19 1561 Mary Queen of Scots lands at Leith on her return from France, after the death of her husband, King Francis II
The 19 August 1646 saw the death of Alexander Henderson, the Scottish presbyterian cleric. Henderson played a pivotal role in the successful fight to preserve Presbyterianism as the national religion of Scotland. He was involved in the adoption of the National Covenant in 1638, when Scots leaders pledged themselves to oppose Charles I's attempts to introduce a liturgy based on the English Prayer Book. In 1643, when the English parliament appealed for aid against Charles I, the price the Scots demanded, and won, was Parliament's acceptance of the Church of Scotland as the northern kingdom's official church.
August 19 1745 Charles Edward Stuart, raises his standard at Glenfinnan, at the start of the '45 uprising.
Today in 1808 James Nasmyth, the noted Scottish engineer, was born. Nasmyth was the son of the noted artist, Alexander Nasmyth, but achieved his fame in the field of engineering, designing and building the first steam hammer. The steam hammer allowed the efficient working of large pieces of metal, vital to the new age of ironclad ships and railways.
August 19 1932 Scottish aviator Jim Mollinson landed after the first East/West solo flight of the Atlantic from Portmarnock, Ireland to Pennfield, New Brunswick.
August 19 1994 Graham Obree, from Irvine in Ayrshire, broke the world record and became the world pursuit cycle champion over 4,000 metres in Hamar, Norway.
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August
Aug 20, 2006 1:53:16 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 20, 2006 1:53:16 GMT 10
August 20
On 20 August 1682 John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale, Scottish politician, died. King Charles II's deputy in Scotland, he was notorious for his repressive rule. Originally a signatory of the National Covenant, Lauderdale became a Royalist during the Civil War and became the most powerful figure in Scotland after the Restoration. In the early years of his administration he was conciliatory towards the Presbyterians, but as time went on his attitude hardened. A combination of his unsuccessful attempts to suppress religious unrest and the corruption of his regime forced the king to remove him after the Battle of Bothwell Bridge, and Maitland retired to England where he lived out the remainder of his life. On 20 August 1872, poet William Miller died. Known as 'the laureate of the nursery' Miller wrote mainly children's verse. He is best remembered for the classic, "Wee Willie Winkie". Miller never managed to make a career solely as a poet and worked as a cabinet-maker and wood turner for most of his life, dying penniless in Glasgow's East End. However, his memory lingered and public subscription paid for a monument to him in Glasgow's Necropolis.
August 20 1897 Ronald Ross, the first Scot to win a Nobel prize (in 1902) dissected a mosquito and established the link with malaria.
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August
Aug 21, 2006 22:36:15 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 21, 2006 22:36:15 GMT 10
August 21
August 21 1689 Battle of Dunkeld when the newly formed Cameronians defended the town against 3,000 Highlanders.
On thisa day in 1754 William Murdock, the Scottish engineer, was born. Murdock invented coal-gas lighting, the first new form of lighting in the Industrial Age, and which 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.
August 21 1930 Princess Margaret, daughter of the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, born at Glamis Castle. She was the first Royal princess born in Scotland for 300 years and the last Royal birth to be witnessed by the Home Secretary (a tradition started by Queen Anne in the early 18th century).
On 21 August 1937 Donald Dewar, the Scottish Labour statesman, was born. Dewar served as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997-1999 and became the first leader of Scotland's devolved Parliament in 1999, although he was to tragically die in office from a brain haemorhage.
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August
Aug 24, 2006 3:33:09 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 24, 2006 3:33:09 GMT 10
August 22
On August 22, 1138 The Battle of the Standard was fought. The battle was fought as part of King David's support for Matilda, a claimant of the English throne. David had already twice invaded England in support of Matilda, and had twice between repulsed by forces loyal to the English King Stephen. This time he was to be no more successful as local English militias halted his army's progress in Yorkshire. These militia forces marched under the banners of the patron saints of their towns, known as standards, and these gave their name to the battle.
August 22 1282 Devorgilla, Countess of Galloway founded Balliol College, Oxford. She was mother of John Balliol (who acceded to the Scottish throne in 1292).
August 22 1567 James Stewart, Earl of Moray and a half-brother of Mary Queen of Scots, proclaimed Regent of Scotland.
August 22 1582 James VI abducted and taken to the Castle of Ruthven by the Earls of Mar and Gowrie - the so-called "Ruthven Raid".
August 22 1642 King Charles I raised his standard at Nottingham, initiating a Civil War in England between the Royalists (also known as Cavaliers) and Parliament (Roundheads).
August 22 1847 Birth of Sir Alexander Campbell MacKenzie, musician and composer.
August 22 1960 "Beyond the Fringe", an influential satirical revue, opened in Edinburgh.
On 22 August 2001 Bobby Johnstone, Scottish footballer, died. Johnstone was one of the "famous five", the Hibernian forward line of the early 1950s regarded as the finest ever seen in Scottish football. At the time Hibernian was among the foremost clubs in Britain, winning three Scottish titles between 1948-1952. Later, after moving to England he scored in two successive FA Cup finals for Manchester City. He played for Scotland 17 times and scored six goals.
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August
Aug 24, 2006 3:34:57 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 24, 2006 3:34:57 GMT 10
August 23
On this day in 1305 Sir William Wallace was executed in London. Wallace was captured after being betrayed by Sir John de Menteith and was transported to London. King Edward I had devised a new method of execution for one of his arch-enemies, and Wallace became the first person to endure the agonies of being hanged, drawn and quartered. On 23 August 1813 Alexander Wilson, the Scottish poet and ornithologist, died. Born in Paisley, Wilson worked as a weaver in the town, but inspired by Burns, he quickly turned his attentions to poetry. However his attempts here were not overly successful and at the age of 27 he emigrated to the United States. In America, he became interested in ornithology and it was through this that he was to achieve immortality, his 'American Ornithology' being regarded as the founding work of the science in the new continent
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August
Aug 24, 2006 3:36:55 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Aug 24, 2006 3:36:55 GMT 10
August 24
August 24 1482 Berwick on Tweed finally ceded to England (Edward IV) after changing hands 12 times.
On 24 August 1947 the first Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama opened. The festival was inspired by the arts festivals organised in Salzburg before the Second World War, but has grown to become the largest event of it's kind in the world. It has also spawned a book festival, film festival and the festival fringe. The festival was also responsible for the creation of Scottish Opera and forced a greater amount of funding from the Arts Council to be given to Scotland. On 24 August 1953 Scottish golfer Sam Torrance was born. After turning professional in 1970 Torrance became a regular member of the European Ryder Cup team, and gained golfing immortality when he hit the winning putt in 1985 Ryder Cup to win the trophy back for Europe after a break of 28-years.
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