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Scottish people are called Scots. Things from Scotland are called
Scottish, not Scotch, which refers solely to the drink.
James Lind, born Edinburgh, Scotland, October 4, 1716. Established
the curative effect of lemon juice on scurvy.
Duncan
I was the King of Scotland until he was slain by his cousin, Macbeth,
on August 15, 1057. This slaying was the basis for the famous
Shakespeare play, "Macbeth."
John Hunter, born East Kilbride, Scotland, February 13, 1728.
Wrote The Natural History of the Human Teeth and laid the foundations
for dental anatomy and pathology.
The
Ghost of Mary Queen of Scots haunts the Talbot Hotel. Her Ghostly
figure has been seen walking down the beautiful oak staircase,
which was brought from the ruins at Fotheringhay, where she was
executed.
Edward
I (1272-1307)--think "Long Shanks" in Brave Heart--was so wrapped
up in his desire to subdue Scotland that on his death bed he extracted
a promise from his son: When Scotland was attacked, his body was
to go with the army. After Edward died his body was preserved
in oiled linen. The promise was kept for the next two hundred
years, his large tomb in Westminister Abbey being opened again
and again.
Scotch
Tape' is a result of the 3M company's decision to put adhesive
only on the edges of its tape. The tape did not work properly
and among the returns was the complaint that the company should
take back its "Scotch Tape". A reference to the supposed stinginess
of Scots people.
The
Scots believed in "Samhanach", a goblin who came out only on Samhain
and stole children.
Margaret
the wife of Malcolm III (King of Scotland) died on November 16,
1093 . She was later declared a saint. To this day in Scotland,
the grace cup is called St. Margaret's blessing.
The
power of Edgar "the Peaceful" was such that as a sign of his power,
Edward was rowed down the River Dee with the oars manned by 8
Kings of tributary kingdoms.
There
are three Scottish place names which contain only two letters-Oa,
Ae, and Bu.
The
Lincoln Monument in Edinburgh's Old Carlton Cemetery was the first
statue of an American president to be constructed outside the
US.
Carrying
a bagpipe was considered to be as much a crime as carrying arms
during the Jacobite rebellion, it was classified an "instrument
of war"
Loch
Lomond is Britain's' largest fresh water lake, 23 miles long and
one and a half to five miles wide. There are 24 islands on it.
In
1969 the U.S. astronaut Alan Bean, an American Scot carried a
square metre of the MacBeath (MacBean) tartan with him on his
historic Apollo XII space mission to the moon.
The
Guinness Book of Records shows that the tallest Scotsman and the
tallest "true" giant was Angus Macaskill. Born on the island of
Berneray off the island of Harris in 1825, Macaskill was 7ft 9in
(2.36m) tall. He was also strong, reputedly able to lift a hundredweight
(50kg) with two fingers and hold it at arms length for ten minutes.
He died on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, in 1863. A cairn on
Berneray commemorates him.
Before
the 19th century tartans were not used in the identification of
clans in Scotland. The plant badge that the men wore would tell
the Scotsman's clan loyalties.
Scotland
is the only country in Europe that the Romans could not conquer.
The
Scots were the tallest race in Europe, according to the 1909 Census.
But the carnage of WW1 changed that. By the 1930s, the average
height of men in Scotland had been reduced by 9 inches.
The
blue paint that Pictish, and later the Scottish warriors wore
in battle was a hallocinogen. It was was the mold from rye.
The
first kilts were worn by the Irish not the Scottish. However,
many of the Irish moved to Scotland (Alba) and they brought their
clothing with them.
Scotland
is the only country in the world. that Coca cola is not the best
selling soft drink. Irn Bru made by the Barr Company i s the best
selling soft drink.
Sheep
theft is still legally a hangable offence in Scotland.
There
are more pipe bands in America than in Scotland.
The
word "whisky" or "whiskey" is derived from the Gaelic uisge breatha
meaning "water of life."
The
original name of Scotland was Caledonia.
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