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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 10/07/2026

10 July 1455: In support of the Black Douglases, Dòmhnall Ballach Mac Dhòmhnaill (Donald Balloch Macdonald) of Dunnyveg launched a raid on the Clyde, burning the town of Inverkip, attacking the Stewart stronghold of Rothesay Castle and raiding the Isles of Cumbrae and the Isle of Arran.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 24/06/2026

24 June 1488: 15-year-old James IV was crowned King of Scots at Scone Abbey, after his father, James III, was killed fighting rebel forces nominally led by his son, at the Battle of Sauchieburn on 11 June.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 08/08/2025

8 August 1503: 30-year-old James IV married 13-year-old Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England, in a ceremony in Holyrood Abbey. The wedding was portrayed as the marriage of the Thistle and the Rose by the Scots poet William Dunbar.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 18/03/2025

Police and Army bomb disposal officers with a defused German 1,000 kg parachute mine (Luftmine B) on 18 March 1941. The mine was dropped on Kennedy Street in Glasgow on the night of 13-14 March 1941.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 23/02/2025

22 February 1371: The death at Edinburgh Castle of King David II. David was succeeded by his nephew, Robert Stewart as King Robert II, thereby establishing the Stewart dynasty which was destined to govern Scotland for the majority of the subsequent three centuries. (Image: Seal of Robert II).

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 21/02/2025

On the night of 20-21 February 1437, James I was murdered by a group of disaffected nobles led by Sir Robert Graham of Kinpont at the Blackfriars monastery in Perth during a failed coup by James's uncle Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 20/02/2025

On 20 February 1472, Orkney and Shetland officially became part of Scotland and were annexed to the Scottish crown. The islands had been offered up as security for the dowry of Princess Margaret, the prospective wife of James III of Scotland, and daughter of King Christian of Norway and Denmark.

Image: 'Cathanes and Orknay ins / Petrus Kaerius Caela' 1627 / National Library of Scotland

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 10/02/2025

10 February 1567: The murder at Kirk o' Field of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. His residence was obliterated by gunpowder, and the bodies of Darnley and his servant were discovered nearby, seemingly having been strangled rather than perished in the explosion.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 04/02/2025

Canadian sergeant aircrew trained under the Empire Air Training Scheme photographed upon their arrival at Gourock in February 1941. They would go on to serve with the Royal Air Force in the air war over Europe. The training scheme helped ensure a steady supply of trained volunteers for the RAF.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 29/01/2025

"Ack-Ack girls" Private M. Methven from Methilhill, Fife and Private M. Holme from Kendal, Westmorland searching the skies for hostile aircraft at a 3.7-inch anti-aircraft battery near Dunfermline in January 1943. IWM (H 26574).

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 26/01/2025

26 January 1861: The One O'Clock Gun was fired at Edinburgh Castle for the first time. It allowed ships' captains, station masters, and the citizens of Edinburgh to set their watches and clocks. The gun is fired every day at 1300, except on Sundays, Good Friday, and Christmas Day.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 21/01/2025

21 January 1840: The birth in Hastings, England of pioneering doctor and champion of medical education for women, Sophia Jex-Blake. She played a pivotal role in the movement to grant women access to higher education and would become the first female doctor to practice in Scotland.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 21/01/2025

On 21 January 1890, two test trains, each consisting of three heavy locomotives and 50 wagons loaded with coal, totalling around 1,880 tonnes in weight, were driven slowly side-by-side from South Queensferry onto the newly built Forth Rail Bridge to weight test the structure.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 20/01/2025

20 January 1356: The Pretender to the Scottish throne, Edward Balliol, son of King John, relinquished his claim to the Scottish crown to Edward III of England in exchange for an English pension. He had given up after a number of failed attempts at reclaiming his father's lost crown.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 31/12/2024

In late December 1135, David I launched an invasion of northern England to secure his claims on Cumbrian and Northumbrian lands following the death of Henry I of England. David's invasion was launched ostensibly in support of Henry's daughter and designated successor Matilda (David's niece).

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 28/12/2024

On 28 December 1879, the Tay Rail Bridge collapsed during a windstorm just as a North British Railway (NBR) passenger train travelling from Burntisland to Dundee was crossing over, resulting in the deaths of all aboard.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 27/12/2024

In December 1318, Robert the Bruce held a parliament at Scone. It came two months after the death of Robert's brother and heir Edward at the battle of Faughart in Ireland and here the nobility recognised Robert Stewart, Robert's grandson, as heir to the throne if the King had no further children.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 24/12/2024

On 24 December 1165, William I (William the Lion) was crowned king of Scots at Scone. The second son of Prince Henry of Scotland and Ada de Warenne, William had ascended to the throne following the death of his older brother Malcolm IV on 9 December 1165. Image: Seal of King William I.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 14/12/2024

14 December 1542: The death of James V of Scotland in Falkland Palace. He was succeeded by his infant daughter Mary. His reign saw the rise of Protestantism in Scotland, expansion of Crown authority in the borders and the western highlands and islands, and conflict with his uncle, Henry VIII.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 14/12/2024

Officials gather for a photograph on the opening day of the Glasgow District Subway on 14 December 1896. Initially established as a cable railway, the system was subsequently electrified. It is the third-oldest underground rail transit system globally after London and Budapest. Image: SPT.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 09/12/2024

9 December 1165: The death in Jedburgh Castle of King Malcolm IV at the age of 24. He was the eldest son of Prince Henry of Scotland and his wife Ada de Warenne. Malcolm was succeeded by his younger brother William. Image: Seal of Malcolm IV.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 04/12/2024

4 December 1214: The death in Stirling Castle of King William I (The Lion) at the age of 71. William had reigned for 49 years and was succeeded by his son Alexander. Image: Seal of King William.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 24/11/2024

24 November 1440: To secure their influence over the young James II, William Crichton and Sir Alexander Livingston had 16-year-old William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas and his younger brother David executed after a banquet at Edinburgh Castle in the event known as the 'Black Dinner'.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 21/11/2024

Turbine Steamer Glen Sannox arriving at Ardrossan Harbour in 1926. The vessel was built by William Denny & Bros in Dumbarton for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway's Adrossan to Arran service and was launched in 1925. Photo by Valentine and Sons.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 19/11/2024

19 November 1600: The birth in Dunfermline Palace of the future King Charles I of Scotland, England and Ireland. He was the second son and fourth child of James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark. Charles would become heir following the death of his elder brother Henry Frederick in November 1612.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 18/11/2024

18 November 1870: The first seven female undergraduates studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh were confronted by a large crowd of students who were attempting to prevent them from going in to sit their exams in what became known as the "Surgeons' Hall Riot".

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 16/11/2024

16 November 1093: The death in Edinburgh of Margaret of Wessex, Queen consort of Scotland. Margaret is said to have died of grief just 3 days after her husband Malcolm III and her eldest son Edward were killed at the battle of Alnwick on 13 November. She was canonised Saint Margaret in 1250.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 15/11/2024

15 November 1824: The five-day Great Fire of Edinburgh began at 10 pm in James Kirkwood's engraving workshop on the second floor of the Old Assembly Close, just off the High Street.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 11/11/2024

11 November 1100: Edith of Scotland married Henry I of England at Westminster Abbey by Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury. Following the ceremony, Edith was crowned and took the regnal name of Matilda. Born in Dunfermline in 1080, she was the daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland and Margaret of Wessex.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 08/11/2024

8 November 1736: Scotland's first theatre was formally opened on Carrubber's Close in Edinburgh's Old Town by poet and playwright Alan Ramsay. It would close within a year as a result of campaigning and opposition from religious leaders in the city. Map: NLS

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 01/11/2024

1 November 1756: Wanlockhead Miners’ Library was founded. It was the second subscription library for working people to be founded anywhere in the world, and it was modelled after the first such library that was founded in the neighbouring Leadhills in 1741.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 25/10/2024

25 October 1268: The death of English nobleman John de Balliol. He was the husband of Dervorguilla of Galloway and the father of King John Balliol (John I) of Scotland. Balliol College in Oxford is named after him.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 24/10/2024

Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspecting soldiers of the 1st Rifle Brigade (1st Polish Corps) with General Władysław Sikorski, at Tentsmuir on 23 October 1940. The brigade commander General Gustaw Paszkiewicz is behind General Sikorski. Photo by George William Horton / IWM (H 4961).

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 23/10/2024

23 October 1822: The Caledonian Canal connecting the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William was opened. Constructed under the direction of Thomas Telford, the canal took 12 years to build at a cost of £910,000.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 23/10/2024

23 October 1642: The first major land battle between Royalists and Parliamentarians was fought at Edgehill in Warwickshire. Commanding the Royalist forces of Charles I against the Earl of Essex was Scottish general Patrick Ruthven, Earl of Forth, a veteran of the 30 Years' War.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 19/10/2024

19 October 1687: The first public-hire sedan chairs became available in Edinburgh. An excellent mode of transport in the narrow wynds and closes of Edinburgh’s Old Town, they reached the height of their popularity in the mid-18th century, when as many as 180 were available for hire.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 18/10/2024

17 October 1939: Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88 bombers of Kampfgeschwader 30 raided the main Royal Navy base of Scapa Flow inflicting damage to the base ship HMS Iron Duke and some buildings on shore. The raid saw the first German bombs explode on British soil during the Second World War.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 17/10/2024

A photo of Oban in 1880 by James Valentine and Sons, shortly after the opening of the railway. In the centre are the railway terminus and fish dock with North Pier beyond. The bay is crowded with moored masted ships and in the distance Dunollie Castle. Photo: Valentine & Sons Ltd / Rijksmuseum.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 16/10/2024

16 October 1939: In the first bombing raid on Britain during the Second World War, Junkers Ju 88 bombers of the Luftwaffe's Kampfgeschwader 30 attacked Royal Navy warships in the Firth of Forth. It resulted in the first German aircraft to be shot down in the air war over Britain.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 26/09/2024

Female workers testing gas meters for the gas department of the Corporation of Glasgow (now Glasgow City Council). Fifteen women were employed by the department, starting in September 1916 as increasing numbers of men left work to join the armed forces. IWM (Q 110139).

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 26/09/2024

The Trongate, Glasgow in 1826 by Scottish painter John Knox. The artwork depicts the most prominent street in Glasgow's city centre in the midst of the industrial revolution.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 31/08/2024

In the summer of 1262, the Scottish-Norwegian War began when William, Earl of Ross laid waste to the Isle of Skye. King Haakon of Norway's vassals in the Hebrides reported how the Scots "slew very many men and women... that they had taken the little children, and laid them on their spear-points".

Seal of King Haakon IV Haakonsson of Norway, c.1247

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 27/08/2024

Officers of the 1st Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) before the Battle of Le Cateau on 26 August 1914. In the photo left to right: Captain and Adjutant John Collier Stormonth-Darling, Major F.A.C. Hamilton, Lieutenant Colonel P.R. Robertson and Captain Allan Roland MacAllan (on his horse).

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 01/06/2024

Winston Churchill watching a Landing Craft, Mechanised Mark 1 (LCM 1) containing a Valentine tank being launched down the slipway of Landing Craft Carrier TSS Iris during combined operations training on Loch Fyne in June 1941. © IWM H 11177.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 24/04/2024

24 April 1882: The birth in Moffat of Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, best remembered as commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and for the “Dowding system” – the world's first integrated air defence system.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 22/04/2024

British troops lined up at Gourock waiting to embark for Norway on 20 April 1940. At anchor in the distance is the Clydebank-built SS Oronsay of the Orient Steam Navigation Company which had been taken up from trade for use as a troopship. © IWM N 3.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 19/04/2024

19 April 1390: The death of Robert II at Dundonald Castle in Ayrshire. The son of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland and Marjorie Bruce (Robert the Bruce's daughter) Robert was the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was succeeded by his son John Stewart who ruled as Robert III.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 02/04/2024

On the night of 2-3 April 1916, German Navy Zeppelin airships L14 and L22 made a raid against the naval base at Rosyth and the Forth Rail Bridge. Unable to locate the targets, L14 dropped 23 bombs on Leith and the City of Edinburgh, killing 13 people and injuring over 30.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 01/04/2024

The 9th (Glasgow Highland) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry of the Territorial Force at Gailes Camp, Ayrshire in 1909. The Territorial Force came into existence on 1 April 1908 as part of the army reforms under Richard Haldane, Secretary of State for War.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 28/03/2024

28 March 1560: Under the terms of the Treaty of Berwick, an English army under Lord Grey crossed the border into Scotland to support the Scottish Lords of the Congregation and help them expel a French army that was defending the regency of Mary of Guise and opposing the Scottish reformation.

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