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APRIL
Apr 13, 2006 3:59:14 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 13, 2006 3:59:14 GMT 10
April 13
On 13 April 1827, Hugh Clapperton, the Scottish explorer, died. Clapperton was the first European explorer of northern Nigeria. He explored the region with two fellow Scots, Dixon Denham and Walter Oudney, after crossing into the region from the Sahara desert. He returned to Britain to tell of his discoveries, but died in Africa on a subsequent journey, trying to trace the source of the Niger river. On 13th April 1951 the 'Stone of Destiny' was returned to Westminster Abbey. The Stone, removed from Scone by Edward I and taken to Westminster Abbey, was removed from its resting place of over 700 years on Christmas Day 1950 and smuggled north of the border. After a few months of hide and seek with the authorities, the conspirators left the Stone in Arbroath Abbey to be discovered. The Stone finally returned permanently to Scotland in 1996, where it now sits in Edinburgh Castle.
April 13 1996 George Mackay Brown, poet and novelist, died.
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APRIL
Apr 13, 2006 21:57:49 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 13, 2006 21:57:49 GMT 10
April 14
On 14 April 1578, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, died at Dragsholm Castle in Denmark. He had been a prisoner since 1567 and is thought to have gone mad. Bothwell, a wild adventurer, was almost certainly behind the murder of Henry, Lord Darnley, Mary's second husband. After Mary lost the Scottish throne, Bothwell fled to Denmark where he was treated with the respect due to the consort of foreign monarch. However, once it became clear that Mary's cause was doomed, Bothwell was imprisoned. His body is preserved in Faarevejle Church.
April 14 1582 University of Edinburgh founded.
April 14 1736 "Porteous Riots" in Edinburgh take place after the hanging of a smuggler by the City Guard led by Captain Porteous. The Guard killed several people in the ensuing riot.
April 14 1903 Aberdeen Football Club was founded.
On this day in 1999, Scottish broadcaster, Eileen Mitchell, died. Mitchell was the woman whose voice was known to millions through the phrase, "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin". She presented BBC Radio's daily children's series, 'Listen with Mother', and also sang many of the nursery rhymes in the programme on which she appeared for about 15 years. When the programme spawned BBC TV's "Watch With Mother", she supplied one of the voices in 'The Woodentops'. On 14 April 2001, Jim Baxter, the noted Scottish footballer, died. 'Slim Jim' Baxter was regarded as one of the finest wing-halves in Europe in the early 1960s, making 254 appearances for Glasgow Rangers, and scoring 24 goals. He won 34 caps for his country, and represented the Rest of the World in a 1963 match to celebrate the centenary of the Football Association.
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APRIL
Apr 15, 2006 6:02:57 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 15, 2006 6:02:57 GMT 10
April 15
April 15 1710 Physicist William Cullen born.
April 15 1799 Prof Joseph Black chemist, researcher, teacher, first to identify carbon dioxide, died.
On this day in 1865, children's poet Walter Wingate was born in Dalry, Ayrshire. Wingate was the son of David Wingate, a noted local poet in Ayrshire, known as the 'Collier Poet'. Walter was also a noted watercolour artist in his lifetime, but is best remembered today for his volume of children's poetry which was published in 1919. His poems such as 'Sair Finger' are much loved for their gentle humour. On April 15 1877, Sir David Ross, the Scottish moral philosopher and eminent Aristotleian scholar, was born. Ross is noted for his definitive study of Aristotle, published in 1923. His 'The Right and the Good', written in 1930, is regarded as the pinnacle of ethical intuitionism, which was the dominant moral theory in British philosophy for much of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Ross went on to spend many years as Chairman of the council of the Royal Institute of Philosophy. April 15 1924 Actor and comedian Rikki Fulton born in Glasgow. He was best known for his double act with Jack Milroy as "Francie and Josie" and as the Rev I M Jolly in "Scotch and Wry".
April 15 1961 Scotland defeated 9-3 by England at Wembley, a record score for a football match between the two countries.
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APRIL
Apr 15, 2006 6:06:51 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 15, 2006 6:06:51 GMT 10
April 16
On this day in 1728, Joseph Black, the Scottish physicist and chemist, was born. Black was actually born in Bordeaux, where his father was a wine merchant, but is closely associated with Glasgow University, where he worked. Black was the discoverer of "fixed air", which we now know as carbon dioxide. He also formulated the concept of latent heat.
On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army was defeated by Hanoverian forces in the Battle of Culloden. The defeat marked the end of the last Stewart attempt to regain, by force, the throne forfeited by James VII. Bonnie Prince Charlie refused the advice of his most able general, Lord George Murray, over the positioning of the Jacobite forces, letting himself be persuaded into placing his troops on an open moor, which gave all advantages to the Hanoverians. Charles compounded this error by choosing this moment to take personal charge of his force for the first time. In less than an hour the government force, outnumbering the Jacobites two to one and with a vast advantage in artillery, defeated them for the first and last time.
April 16 1953 Royal yacht "Britannia" launched at John Brown's shipyard, Clydebank.
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APRIL
Apr 17, 2006 7:08:00 GMT 10
Post by dreamy on Apr 17, 2006 7:08:00 GMT 10
April 16 On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army was defeated by Hanoverian forces in the Battle of Culloden. The defeat marked the end of the last Stewart attempt to regain, by force, the throne forfeited by James VII. Bonnie Prince Charlie refused the advice of his most able general, Lord George Murray, over the positioning of the Jacobite forces, letting himself be persuaded into placing his troops on an open moor, which gave all advantages to the Hanoverians. Charles compounded this error by choosing this moment to take personal charge of his force for the first time. In less than an hour the government force, outnumbering the Jacobites two to one and with a vast advantage in artillery, defeated them for the first and last time. What an incredibly sad day that was! I was remembering it today.
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APRIL
Apr 17, 2006 21:46:49 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 17, 2006 21:46:49 GMT 10
April 16 On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army was defeated by Hanoverian forces in the Battle of Culloden. The defeat marked the end of the last Stewart attempt to regain, by force, the throne forfeited by James VII. Bonnie Prince Charlie refused the advice of his most able general, Lord George Murray, over the positioning of the Jacobite forces, letting himself be persuaded into placing his troops on an open moor, which gave all advantages to the Hanoverians. Charles compounded this error by choosing this moment to take personal charge of his force for the first time. In less than an hour the government force, outnumbering the Jacobites two to one and with a vast advantage in artillery, defeated them for the first and last time. What an incredibly sad day that was! I was remembering it today. So was I before I posted it.
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APRIL
Apr 17, 2006 21:54:10 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 17, 2006 21:54:10 GMT 10
April 17
April 17 1341 Edinburgh Castle captured from the English.
April 17 1766 James Craig's winning entry for development of Edinburgh New Town was approved.
April 17 1847 The Educational Institute of Scotland was founded "to promote sound learning and advance the interests of education in Scotland".
On 17 April 1892, Alexander Mackenzie, the Scottish-born Canadian statesman, died. Mackenzie was the first Liberal Prime Minister of Canada, serving from 1873-78. After the Dominion of Canada was established in 1867, a move that Mackenzie supported, he was elected to the first House of Commons and became leader of the Liberal opposition. When Sir John Macdonald's Conservative government collapsed in 1873, the Liberals took over; but the party was not strong enough to support him, and Prime Minister Mackenzie couldn't succeed in handling the economic problems that Canada faced. In 1878, the Liberals were voted out of power. Two years later, he resigned the leadership of the party but held his parliamentary seat until his death.
April 17 1895 Scotland's first cremation at Glasgow's Western Necropolis.
April 17 1909 Riot by fans after replay of Scottish Cup Final between Rangers and Celtic at Hampden Park.
On 17 April 1932, Sir Patrick Geddes, the Scottish biologist and social scientist, died.Geddes is regarded as the founding father of town planning. Although he was trained as a biologist, he applied biological knowledge to striving to create an ideal environment for human existence. The author of 'City Development' and 'Cities in Evolution', Geddes was greatly troubled by the plight of refugees of the war between Armenians and the Ottoman Empire in 1896. His response was to travel to Cyprus, helping the displaced people to resettle there in small agricultural and industrial units.
April 17 1937 A British record attendance at a football match was set when 149,547 watched Scotland play England at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Until 1950, this was a world record.
April 17 1969 Everyone in Britain over the age of 18 was allowed to vote in parliamentary elections. The minimum age of 21 had been set in 1928.
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APRIL
Apr 19, 2006 6:11:16 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 19, 2006 6:11:16 GMT 10
April 18
April 18 1874 Remains of David Livingstone interred in Westminster Abbey.
On this day in 1914, Harbourne Stephen, the Scottish World War II fighter pilot, was born. Stephen was a Battle of Britain fighter ace who went on to forge a career for himself as a newspaper executive. On his way to a tally of 23 registered kills (though it was almost certainly higher) he shot down five enemy aircraft in a single day in August 1940. That December he became the first airman to be awarded a DSO in the field. Returning after the war to the field of newspapers, in which he had been a junior before he was called up in 1939, Stephen worked successively for the Beaverbrook press and for 'Thomson Newspapers' before becoming managing director of 'The Daily Telegraph' and 'The Sunday Telegraph' in 1963.
On 18 April 1937, Sir Edward "Teddy" Taylor, the Scottish Conservative politician, was born. MP for Rochford and Southend since 1997, Taylor is a noted Euro-sceptic, who resigned from his government post in 1971, protesting against Britain joining the EEC.
April 18 1992 Final performance at the Grassmarket, Edinburgh premises of the Traverse Theatre company - 25 years after it was opened by Jenny Lee, Britain's first minister of the arts. The theatre re-opened at a custom-made building beside the Usher Hall.
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APRIL
Apr 19, 2006 6:15:32 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 19, 2006 6:15:32 GMT 10
April 19
April 19 1390 Robert II, grandson of Robert the Bruce, died at Dundonald Castle.
April 19 1689 Earl of Angus forms the Cameronians into a regiment.
On 19 April 1824, Lord Byron, the Scottish aristocrat and Romantic poet, died in Greece. Byron inherited the title of 6th Baron Byron in 1798. He grew up in Aberdeen and attended Aberdeen Grammar School, and always considered himself a Scot. He met his death fighting for Greek independence, although he never actually faced the enemy, instead falling victim to fever at Missolonghi.
On this day in 1905, Jim Mollison, the pioneering Scottish aviator, was born. Mollison held many individual records for distance, endurance, and speed flying, and jointly set several others with his wife, the aviatrix Amy Johnson. In 1932, he became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from East to West. In the same year, his wife broke his record for the fastest flight from London to Cape Town.
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APRIL
Apr 21, 2006 6:13:55 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 21, 2006 6:13:55 GMT 10
April 20
April 20 1809 James David Forbes, physicist who devised first form of seismograph, born.
On 20th April 1918, Mora Dickson, Scottish author, painter and campaigner, was born. In 1958, Mora and her husband, Alec, had the idea for the Voluntary Service Overseas, or VSO, scheme, in response to the ending of National Service. They ran it from their London home until 1962, when a dispute led to Alec's replacement as director. This prompted them to set up the Community Service Volunteers, or CSV, a volunteer programme focussing on Britain. In contrast to the highly selective VSO, CSV's philosophy was to take all comers. They were reunited with VSO in the 1990s, and Mora was elected an honorary vice-president.
On 20th April, 1934, the first public meeting of the Scottish National Party was held. The meeting was held in the Central Hall, Tollcross, Edinburgh with Compton Mackenzie, the Lord Rector of Glasgow University, and W. Oliver Brown, prospective Nationalist candidate for East Renfrewshire, as guest speakers. The Scottish National Party was formed by the amalgamation of The National Party of Scotland and The Scottish Party.
April 20 1994 Sir Walter Scott's home at Abbotsford was raided and priceless antiques stolen.
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APRIL
Apr 21, 2006 6:17:32 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 21, 2006 6:17:32 GMT 10
April 21
April 21 1703 Edinburgh Fire Brigade, one of the first in Scotland, formed.
Today in 1838, John Muir, the Scottish-born American naturalist, was born. Muir was responsible for the creation of Yosemite and Sequoia national parks in California. The 550-acre Muir Woods National Monument is named after him.
April 21 1926 The future Queen Elizabeth II born. Her parents at that time were the Duke and Duchess of York.
On the 21st April, 1940, George Barnes, the Scottish Socialist statesman, died. One of the founders of the Labour Party, he served in Lloyd George's wartime coalition government, but resigned from the Labour Party rather than obey the party line in 1918. Barnes represented Britain at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, and was primarily responsible for the establishment of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as an agency of the League of Nations.
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APRIL
Apr 21, 2006 6:21:01 GMT 10
Post by LLady on Apr 21, 2006 6:21:01 GMT 10
April 22
Today in 1812 James Ramsey, marquess of Dalhousie, Scottish statesman and Governor General of India from 1847-56, was born. His policy of conquests and annexations virtually created the map of modern India. He is also credited with establishing the sub-continent's centralised form of government, and its western-style infrastructure, such as roads, railways, telegraph and the postal systems. However, his policies were so disruptive that they are now blamed for causing the Indian Mutiny of 1857, just after his viceroyality ended.
April 22 1838 The 703-ton Sirius, built in Leith and carrying 90 passengers, reached New York, the first ship to cross the Atlantic entirely under steam. Shortage of fuel resulted in spars and furniture being burned towards the end of the 18-day voyage. Brunel's steamship, Great Western, arrived a day later.
April 22 1869 Rev Patrick Bell , inventor of mechanical reaper, died.
On this day in 1908, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Scottish politician and Liberal Prime Minister from 1905-08, died. His cabinet included David Lloyd George and Henry Herbert Asquith, both of whom later became Prime Ministers. Sir Henry resigned prematurely due to poor health and died just days later.
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