February 11 1800
William H Fox Talbot, pioneering photographer, born. October 10 1802
Writer and geologist Hugh Miller born on the Black Isle, Cromarty.
March 17 1806
Death of businessman and philanthropist David Dale who established the cotton mills at New Lanark, in partnership with Arkwright,
the inventor of the "Spinning Jenny."
January 16 1809
General Sir John Moore died at the Battle of Corunna in Spain.
April 20 1809
James David Forbes, physicist who devised first form of seismograph, born.
May 10 1809
Andrew Bell, co-founder of Encyclopaedia Britannica with Colin MacFarquhar, died.
December 29 1809
William Ewart Gladstone, UK Prime Minister on four occasions, born 1809
June 7 1811
Sir James Young Simpson, pioneer of anaeshetics and chloroform, born.
December 23 1812
Samuel Smiles, writer and author of "Self Help" and "Lives of Engineers", born.
March 19 1813
David Livingstone, missionary and explorer, born Blantyre.
September 30 1813
Birth in Orkney of John Rae, explorer and surveyor of Canada's northern coastline.
January 11 1815
John A MacDonald, First Prime Minister of Canada in 1856, born in Rogart, Sutherland.
June 18 1815
Ensign Ewart captured the French Ensign at the Battle of Waterloo.
July 1 1815
Union Bank of Scotland opened.
April 9 1817
Architect Alexander "Greek Thomson" born in Balfron, Stirlingshire.
July 7 1817
First publication of Walter Scott's Waverley Novels (See Project Gutenberg under "Scott").
February 4 1818
Honours of Scotland put on display in Edinburgh Castle after being rediscovered
by Sir Walter Scott.
September 18 1818
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, became the first theatre in Britain to be lit by gas.
August 25 1819
James Watt , developer of steam power, died.
October 4 1821
Death of John Rennie, engineer who constructed the Crinan Canal.
July 8 1822
Henry Raeburn, portrait painter, died.
August 17 1822
Visit of George IV to Edinburgh began, orchestrated by Sir Walter Scott.
October 30 1822
Caledonian Canal opened.
July 1 1824
Lachlan Macquarrie, "Father of Australia" died in London.
April 19 1825
Robert Byron (later Lord Byron) died at Missolinghi, Greece.
August 27 1825
African explorer William Blake born.
April 26 1826
Robert Adamson, who collaborated with D O Hill to produce early portrait photography, born.
August 13 1826
Explorer Alexander Gordon Laing became the first Christian to reach Timbuctu, Africa.
August 14 1827
Foundation laid of George IV Bridge, Edinburgh. It was not completed until 1836 due to lack of funds.
January 28 1829
William Burke, murderer and body snatcher of "Burke and Hare" fame, executed.
April 5 1830
Birth at Lesmahagow of composer Alexander Muir, creator of "Maple Leaf Forever".
June 13 1831
Birth of James Clerk Maxwell, first Professor of Experimental Physics at Cambridge University, he created electromagnetic theory of light.
September 27 1831
Scotland's first passenger railway opened (between Glasgow and Garnkirk).
September 21 1832
Novelist (notably "Ivanhoe" and "Talisman") and poet Sir Walter Scott died aged 61.
October 9 1834
First shipment of tea direct from India arrived at the Broomielaw Docks in Glasgow.
November 21 1835
Poet James Hogg, the Ettrick shepherd, died in Ettrick.
November 25 1835
Steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie born in Dunfermline.
November 26 1836
John McAdam, inventor of "tar macadam" road surface, died, 1836
May 6 1838
John Muir, pioneering
conservationist and founder of Yosemite National Park, born in Dunbar.
June 28 1838
Queen Victoria crowned at Westminster Abbey.
December 16 1838
Thomas Blake Glover, founding father of Japan's
industrialisation (including Mitsubishi) and Japanese Navy, born Fraserburgh.
April 11 1839
John Galt, author, traveller, founder of Guelph, Ontario, died.
February 21 1842
Intercity railway between Glasgow and Edinburgh opened by Queen Victoria.
September 7 1842
Queen Victoria's first visit to Edinburgh.
May 18 1843
Break up of Church of Scotland and formation of Free Church of Scotland.
June 1 1843
Dr Henry Faulds, who established the uniqueness of fingerprints, born in Beith, Ayrshire.
October 26 1845
Lady Caroline Nairne, songwriter and poet, died at Gask.
February 5 1846
John Boyd Dunlop, who patented the first practical pneumatic tyre, born Ayrshire.
February 12 1846
Rev Henry Duncan, founder of the world-wide savings bank movement, died near Ruthwell.
March 3 1847
Alexander Graham Bell born Edinburgh.
July 5 1847
Final run of the Edinburgh to London mail coach (trains had taken over).
August 22 1847
Alexander Campbell Mackenzie, composer and conductor, born.
November 12 1847
Sir James Young Simpson first used chloroform as an anaesthetic.
November 23 1847
Historian Walter Biggar Blaikie born.
January 1 1848
Riots by Irish navvies in Stonehaven.
January 29 1848
Greenwich Mean Time adopted by Scotland.
March 23 1848
First Scottish settlers arrive Dunedin, New Zealand.
December 2 1848
Mary Slessor, missionary, born. (Mary Slessor is illustrated on a Scottish Banknote).
September 12 1848
Death of William McNab, curator of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. He was responsible for
"greening" Scotland in the 19th century. He moved 4,000 plant species, including trees from a site on Leith Walk, to the present garden at Inverleith.
August 13 1849
Queen Victoria visited Glasgow, the
first monarch to visit the city since James VI in the 16th century. Having visited the "second city of the Empire" she is reputed to have said that she did not wish to repeat the experience...
November 13 1850
Novelist and poet Robert Louis Stevenson born Edinburgh.
October 2 1852
Birth of Sir William Ramsay, Scottish chemist who discovered helium, xenon, neon, argon, radon and krypton.
November 25 1853
John Gibson, biographer and critic, editor Blackwood's magazine, died. He married Sir Walter Scott's daughter and wrote a 7 volume biography of Scott. Buried Dryburgh Abbey, at the feet of Sir
Walter Scott.
October 2 1854
Patrick Geddes, "father of town planning" born in Ballater.
October 27 1854
William Smith, founder of the Boys' Brigade, born.
November 17 1855
David Livingstone reached Victoria Falls in Africa.
August 15 1856
Birth at Holytown of John Keir Hardie, coal miner and founder of the Labour Party.
December 24 1856
Writer and geologist Hugh Miller died.
March 18 1857
William Henry Playfair, architect, died.
June 30 1857
Start of trial for murder of Madeleine Smith who was eventually found "Not Proven"
July 9 1857
The Madeleine Smith acquitted of murder.
November 17 1858
Robert Owen, Welsh-Scottish industrialist and social reformer, founder of New Lanark community, died.
March 8 1859
Kenneth Grahame, author of "The Wind in the Willows" born in Edinburgh.
May 22 1859
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes, born Edinburgh.
October 14 1859
Queen Victoria opened the
water supply from Loch Katrine allowing it to flow 17 miles to Milngavie reservoir and then to Glasgow.
May 9 1860
J M Barrie, author of "Peter Pan" born
January 26 1861
"One o'clock gun" fired for the first time from Edinburgh Castle.
June 19 1861
Earl Haig, Commander in Chief of British forces 1915-18, founder of British Legion, born.
October 22 1861
Foundation
stones of main Post Office and National Museum of Scotland laid by Prince Albert in his last public engagement before his death.
June 3 1863
Writer Neil Munro born Inveraray.
October 12 1866
Ramsay MacDonald, first Labour Prime Minister of UK, born.
October 25 1866
Revised Glasgow coat of arms approved by the Lord Lyon - "Let Glasgow Flourish".
May 23 1867
Archibald Alison, historian, died.
July 9 1867
Queen's Park Football Club, first senior football (soccer) club in Scotland formed.
February 10 1868
David Brewster, scientist, inventor (including the kaleidoscope) died.
December 10 1868
Artist, architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh born.
June 5 1868
James Connolly, Irish revolutionary, born in Edinburgh.
July 13 1868
Scottish Reform Act passed giving the vote to all male householders.
April 22 1869
Rev Patrick Bell , inventor of mechanical reaper, died.
November 22 1869
Cutty Sark launched at Dumbarton on the Clyde to be the fastest ship in the race to bring home the first of the new season's tea from
China. She later brought back wool from Australia.
May 6 1870
Sir James Young Simpson advocate of chloroform, died.
May 17 1870
David Octavius Hill, painter and pioneer photographer, died.
August 4 1870
Birth of the entertainer Sir Harry Lauder.
December 18 1870
Birth of Hector Munro. He wrote short stories under the pseudonym "Saki".
March 27 1871
First Scotland/England rugby international,
20 a side, played at Raeburn Place. (Scotland won).
November 10 1871
Journalist Henry M Stanley found the missing Scottish missionary David Livingstone with the classic "Dr Livingstone, I presume?"
January 14 1872
Greyfriars Bobby died after staying by his master's grave for 14 years.
August 20 1872
Death of the poet William Miller whose collection of nursery songs included "Wee Willie
Winkie".
November 30 1872
World's first international football (soccer) match, Scotland V England at West of Scotland Cricket Ground. Result was 0-0.
March 3 1873
"Scottish Football Union" formed - the precursor of the Scottish Rugby Union.
March 13 1873
Scottish Football Association founded.
May 1 1873
Missionary and explorer David Livingstone died.
November 15 1873
Statue to Greyfriar's Bobby, who stayed by his master's grave for 14 years was unveiled, 1873
August 26 1875
Novelist John Buchan born in Perth.
September 25 1875
John Hughes Bennett, pioneer microscopist, died.
March 7 1876
Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone (Patent 174461).
June 25 1876
Seven Scots, including John Stuart Forbes, were in the US 7th
Cavalry with General Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.
November 5 1877
Opening of the original Mitchell Library, Glasgow, now the largest public reference library in Europe.
January 26 1878
Kirkpatrick McMillan, inventor of the bicycle, died.
June 1 1878
First Tay rail bridge opens. It was to collapse 18 months later in the Tay Bridge Disaster.
October 2 1878
City of Glasgow Bank closed its doors and went into liquidation.
December 28 1879
Tay Bridge disaster.
October 15 1880
Dr Marie Stopes, founder of first modern birth control clinic, born Edinburgh.
February 5 1881
Writer and historian Thomas Carlyle died in London.
August 6 1881
Birth of Sir Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin.
October 14 1881
Eyemouth Fishing Disaster, nearly 20 boats
and 129 men (1 in 3 of the town's male population) lost their lives in a storm.
November 2 1881
Tom Johnston, one of Scotland's best know Secretaries of State, born.
April 17 1882
Battle of the Braes in
which crofters in Skye fought 50 policemen during a dispute over land rights.
January 17 1883
Author Compton Mackenzie (Whisky Galore etc) born.
July 3 1883
124 people drowned when Steamer "Daphne" sank during its launch on river Clyde.
October 4 1883
Boys' Brigade founded in Glasgow.
June 24 1886
Crofters' Holding Act passed providing limited security of tenure.
May 15 1887
Poet and critic Edwin Muir born.
June 20 1887
New Tay rail bridge opened.
June 25 1887
Wallace statue unveiled at the Wallace National Monument, Stirling.
January 3 1888
O H Mavor (James Bridie) physician and prolific playwright, born in Glasgow.
August 13 1888
Birth of John Logie Baird , developer of television.
August 22 1888
Queen Victoria opened the Glasgow City Chambers.
January 24 1890
First train over Forth Bridge.
March 4 1890
Forth Rail Bridge officially opened by Prince of Wales.
May 7 1890
James Naysmith, engineer and inventor of steam hammer, died
November 8 1891
Author Neil M Gunn born in Caithness. Best known for
"Highland River" (1937) and "Silver Darlings" (1951).
November 16 1891
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show opened in the East End Exhibition Buildings, Duke Street, Glasgow.
August 11 1892
Author and poet C M Grieve (Hugh MacDiarmid) born at Langholm, Dumfriesshire.
January 13 1893
Keir Hardie of Legbrannock, Lanarkshire, founded Independent Labour Party.
December 3 1894
Robert Louis Stevenson died in Samoa.
February 11 1895
Coldest temperature ever recorded in Scotland, -27.2C at Braemar.
March 9 1895
Soprano Dame Isabella Baillie, opera star, born in Hawick.
December 14 1896
Glasgow District Underground opened, powered by electricity.
March 25 1897
Formation of the Scottish Trades Union Congress.
November 1 1897
Novelist and politician Naomi Mitchison born
in Edinburgh. Her best known novels are "The Conquered" (1923), "When the Bough Breaks" (1924) and "Cloud Cuckoo Land".
January 22 1898
People's Palace on Glasgow Green opens.
April 28 1898
Poet William Soutar born in Perth.
January 5 1899
An experiment using electricity to drive Glasgow's tram cars was successful, sounding the end for the 3,000 horses used by the city on its 150
miles of track.
March 8 1899
Novelist Eric Linklater, son of an Orkney master mariner, born in Wales.
October 31 1899
Steam Ship Sir Walter Scott launched by William Denny at Dumbarton. The ship is still
sailing on Loch Katrine in Perthshire, 100 years later.
December 30 1899
Albion Motor Company established to build lorries.
