This Day in Scottish History

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History . I’m your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we’re traveling back to the turbulent 14th century—a time when Scotland was engulfed in political strife and power struggles. The date is September 24, 1332, and on this day, Edward Balliol, with the support of the English crown, was crowned King of Scots at Scone. This moment created a Scotland with two kings: E...

Welcome back to “This Day in Scottish History.” I’m your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we journey back to a pivotal figure in early-medieval Scotland, a man whose impact on the spiritual and legal world continues to be felt to this day: Adomnán of Iona. He passed away on this day, September 23rd, in the year 704. More than just an abbot, Adomnán was a saint, a statesman, and a scholar whose contri...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I’m your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we travel back to a fateful moment in 12th century Galloway: the 22nd of September, 1174. This was the day that Gilbert, known as Gille Brigte, ordered a brutal attack on his own brother, Uchtred, a crime that reverberated across Scotland and England. Now, before we dive into this dark chapter of history, let...

Welcome to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we turn our attention to a crucial moment in the Jacobite Rising of 1745—the Battle of Prestonpans, fought on September 21, 1745. Also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir, it was the first major engagement of the rebellion, and it ended in a decisive victory for the Jacobite forces under Charles Edward Stuart, or as...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we turn our attention to a landmark moment in maritime history that took place on September 20, 1967. On this day, the Queen Elizabeth 2, or QE2, the largest ship ever built in Scotland and the last great passenger liner constructed on the River Clyde, was launched from John Brown & Company's yard in Clydebank. Th...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we journey back to the 16th century, to a remarkable event that unfolded on September 19th, 1582 . On this day, John Craig , a Dominican-turned-Reformer, stood boldly against King James VI , delivering a public rebuke from the pulpit. Craig's actions, rooted in his deep conviction and commitment to the Scottish...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we remember a tragic event that took place on September 18, 1959 – the Auchengeich Colliery disaster, where 47 miners lost their lives in one of Scotland’s most harrowing mining accidents. The Auchengeich Colliery was located in Moodiesburn, North Lanarkshire, a region synonymous with coal mining, which had bee...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we’re traveling back to September 17, 1910, to celebrate one of Scotland’s lesser-known pioneers: Andrew Blain Baird. On this day, Baird made the first powered monoplane flight in Scotland at Ettrick Bay on the Isle of Bute in a self-built aircraft. Baird’s story is a fascinating tale of Scottish ingenuity and...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we remember a tragic event that struck both Scotland and Ireland on September 16, 1937 —the Kirkintilloch Fire Disaster . This somber incident claimed the lives of ten young Irishmen, forever etching their names into the shared history of two nations. In the early morning hours of September 16, 1937, a fire b...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History . I’m your host, Colin MacDonald, and today, we take a somber look at the tragic event that shook the world of motorsport on September 15, 2007. On this day, legendary Scottish rally driver Colin McRae and three others, including his young son, lost their lives in a helicopter crash near McRae’s hometown of Lanark. Colin McRae wasn’t just a rally driver...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I’m your host, Colin MacDonald, and today, we’ll be exploring a remarkable day during World War I: September 14, 1914. On this day, three courageous Scottish soldiers—William Henry Johnston, Ross Tollerton, and George Wilson—earned the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the British and Commonwealth forces. Each man performed extraordi...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History , I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we’ll dive into an incredible tale from September 13, 1980, when one of Scotland’s most legendary figures—who just so happened to be a nine-foot grizzly bear—was found after a heart-stopping three weeks on the loose. This is the story of Hercules, a bear whose escapades captured the world’s attention and forever...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History . I’m your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we’re diving into one of the most astonishing feats in the world of football. On this very day, the 12th of September in 1885, a match took place that would go down in history as the largest margin of victory in professional football. That match was between Arbroath and Bon Accord, and the final scoreline was...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we travel back to a monumental moment in Scottish history: the Battle of Stirling Bridge, fought on September 11, 1297. This battle, led by William Wallace and Andrew Murray, marked a decisive Scottish victory over the English forces, a turning point in the First War of Scottish Independence. It wasn’t just a ba...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I’m your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we remember one of the most revered figures in Scottish football, Jock Stein. The date is September 10, 1985, a day etched in both tragedy and triumph. It was on this day, 39 years ago, that Stein tragically passed away, securing Scotland's spot in the 1986 World Cup playoffs but paying the ultimate price in...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we journey back to September 9, 1513, to one of the most significant and tragic events in Scottish history: the Battle of Flodden. It was a day that would forever change the course of Scotland's destiny. The Battle of Flodden, also known as Flodden Field, was fought near Branxton in Northumberland, England. This...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we travel back in time to September 8, 1468, a pivotal day that reshaped the map of Scotland and forever intertwined the fate of the Shetland Islands with the Scottish Crown. On this day, a significant political and matrimonial arrangement took place, one that would result in the Shetland Islands being mortgaged...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into a dramatic and chaotic event that unfolded on September 7, 1736—the lynching of Captain John Porteous by an enraged mob in Edinburgh, a pivotal moment in the city's history known as the Porteous Riots. To set the stage, we must first understand who Captain John Porteous was. Born around 1695, Porte...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into a fascinating chapter of Scottish exploration—an event that took place on September 6, 1892. On this day, four steam-powered whaling ships set sail from Dundee, marking the beginning of the Dundee Whaling Expedition to Antarctica. This bold venture was not just about hunting whales but also marked...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we remember a tragic and poignant event that forever changed the world of Scottish football. It was on September 5th, 1931, that Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson tragically died following an accidental collision during an Old Firm match against Rangers at Ibrox Park. John Thomson was a talented young goalkeeper, b...

Today, we delve into a pivotal moment in Glasgow's public transport history—the day the trams stopped running. On September 4th, 1962, the clattering and clanging of trams on Glasgow's streets came to a halt, ending an era that had defined the city’s landscape and daily life for nearly a century. But to understand the significance of this day, we must first look back to the very beginnings of publ...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we journey back to a pivotal and violent moment in Scottish history, marked by betrayal, intrigue, and bloodshed. On September 3rd, 1571, a daring raid was launched on Stirling Castle, a stronghold of young King James VI's supporters. This raid, carried out by three hundred mounted troopers under the command of...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into a tale of crime, punishment, and survival—a story that has captured the imaginations of Scots for nearly three centuries. On September 2, 1724, an execution was carried out in Edinburgh that would not go as planned. This is the story of Maggie Dickson, or as she's famously known, "Half-Hangit Maggi...

Today, we’re looking back to September 1, 1958—a date that marks the beginning of the First Cod War between the United Kingdom and Iceland. This conflict wasn’t just about fishing rights in distant waters; it had profound consequences for Scottish communities that relied heavily on the fishing industry. The First Cod War was the first in a series of disputes that spanned two decades, pitting the U...

Today, we're delving into a dark and dramatic tale from Edinburgh’s past—an incident that took place on August 31, 1535. It’s a story of family conflict, financial disputes, and ultimately, murder. This is the tale of Alison Rough, her daughter Katherine, and the tragic death of Alexander Cant. Alison Rough was no ordinary woman of her time. Born in 1485, she was raised in Edinburgh, likely in a w...