This Day in Scottish History

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I’m your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into a grim chapter in Scotland's legal history—January 29, 2003—when Nat Fraser was found guilty of the murder of his wife, Arlene Fraser, in one of Scotland’s most infamous criminal cases. The case of Nat and Arlene Fraser is one that gripped the nation for decades, both for its tragic elements and the...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I’m your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we journey back to a revolutionary moment in the world of technology, one that put Scotland at the forefront of innovation. The date is 28 January 1924 , and the scene is Glasgow, where John Logie Baird , a visionary Scottish inventor, achieved a groundbreaking feat—the first private demonstration of his expe...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we’re delving into a cornerstone of Scottish journalism. On January 26, 1783, the very first edition of the Glasgow Advertiser was published. This weekly publication would eventually transform into The Herald , which now stands as the longest continually-published daily newspaper in Britain. To appreciate the...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History ! I'm your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we’re traveling back over 700 years to January 26, 1316, a fateful day in the annals of Scotland’s fight for independence—the Battle of Skerries. This lesser-known but significant engagement took place during the Wars of Scottish Independence and played a pivotal role in Robert the Bruce’s consolidation of pow...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History! I’m your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we celebrate one of Scotland’s most iconic figures, a man whose words continue to echo across the centuries. On this day, January 25, 1759, Robert Burns was born in a humble clay cottage in Alloway, Ayrshire. Known affectionately as the Bard of Ayrshire, Burns would go on to become Scotland’s national poet, a c...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History . I'm your host, Colin MacDonald, and today, we delve into a moment in history that blends politics, power, and bloodshed. Our focus is the Battle of Arbroath, a tragic event that unfolded on January 24, 1446. This wasn’t a clash between nations or clans, but a brutal struggle over a position of authority in one of Scotland's most important religious an...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I’m your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into a turbulent and often overlooked event that unfolded in Glasgow on January 23, 1919. This was the day of the so-called "Harbour Riot," a violent confrontation between white and black merchant seamen that laid bare the racial and economic tensions simmering in the city during a time of great social up...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we journey back to 22 January 1731, a day when the people of Dundee and the surrounding countryside breathed a collective sigh of relief. Why? Because that was the day a notorious highwayman, known as the "Muckle Thief," was finally apprehended. The "Muckle Thief," as he came to be called, was a shadowy figure w...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we explore an ambitious moment in Scotland’s modern history: January 21, 1992, when Glasgow formally discussed the possibility of bidding to host the 1996 Summer Olympics. Though the dream never materialized, it remains a fascinating chapter in the city’s story of transformation and aspiration. In the early 1990s,...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History" ! I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into a dramatic and unsettling chapter in Scotland’s past: the Fenian dynamite campaign of the late 19th century. On January 20, 1883 , Glasgow was rocked—literally—by a series of explosions that shook the Tradeston Gasworks, Possil Street Bridge, and Buchanan Street railway station. These attacks inju...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we celebrate a pivotal figure in the history of innovation and industry. On January 19, 1736, in the small town of Greenock, Scotland, James Watt, one of the most influential engineers and inventors in history, was born. Watt's revolutionary work on the steam engine would become the driving force behind the Indu...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History ! I'm your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we’re journeying back to January 18, 2011. On this day, a major milestone in Scottish heritage was achieved with the installation of replicas of the famed Stirling Heads in the King's Inner Hall at Stirling Castle. This event marked the completion of a remarkable restoration project, breathing new life into a...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into a pivotal moment in the Jacobite Rising of 1745—a victory that held great potential but ultimately marked a missed opportunity for Charles Edward Stuart and his cause. On January 17, 1746 , the Jacobite army secured a significant win against government forces at the Battle of Falkirk Muir , though...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History ! I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we step back to January 16, 1707, a date forever etched into Scottish history as the day the Scottish Parliament agreed to the Treaty of Union with England. This momentous decision, passed by a vote of 110 to 67, laid the foundation for the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain and marked the end of Scotland’...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History . I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we remember the heartwarming story of loyalty and devotion that ended on this day, January 14, 1872. This is the day when Greyfriars Bobby, the legendary Skye Terrier, passed away after spending 14 years faithfully guarding his master's grave in Edinburgh's Greyfriars Kirkyard. Greyfriars Bobby's tale begins in t...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into a day of devastating natural destruction that left a lasting mark on Scotland's history. On January 15, 1968, the "Great Glasgow Storm" swept across central Scotland, claiming 20 lives, including 9 in Glasgow, and forever etching itself into the memories of those who experienced its ferocity. This hu...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into the chilling story of one of Scotland's most infamous criminals. On January 13, 1958, the reign of terror inflicted by serial killer Peter Manuel came to an end with his arrest—a moment that brought relief to the communities of Lanarkshire and Glasgow after a series of heinous murders. Peter Thomas A...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we venture back to January 11, 1815, to celebrate the birth of one of Scotland's most influential sons, Sir John A. Macdonald, who became the first Prime Minister of Canada and a key architect of Canadian Confederation. Born in the bustling city of Glasgow, Macdonald's early years were shaped by a blend of Scott...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History . I’m your host, Colin MacDonald, and today, we’re diving into an important milestone in the preservation and celebration of Scotland’s Gaelic heritage. On January 10, 1949, BBC Scotland made its first official broadcast in Gaelic, marking a historic moment for the language, its speakers, and its cultural significance. This broadcast was more than a tec...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into a dark chapter in Scotland's past. On this day in January 1349, the Black Death reached Scotland, spreading death and despair across the land. This pandemic, which had already ravaged much of Europe, profoundly affected Scottish society, altering the course of its history. The Black Death, caused by...

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I’m your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we unravel a tale of greed, murder, and justice from the streets of Edinburgh—a story that culminated on this day, January 8, 1829, with the execution of one of Scotland’s most infamous criminals, William Burke. Edinburgh in the early 19th century was a city of contrasts. Its Old Town was a warren of narrow clos...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we’re heading back to one of the most pivotal days in Scotland’s intellectual and cultural history: January 7, 1451. On this day, Pope Nicholas V issued a papal bull that established the University of Glasgow. It became the second university in Scotland, after the University of St. Andrews, and is now one of the o...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History . I’m your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we journey to the stormy seas of 1156, a pivotal moment in Scottish history. On this day, January 6th, Somerled, the legendary Norse-Gaelic warlord, achieved a significant victory at the Battle of Epiphany, a battle that would alter the balance of power in the Hebrides and cement his legacy as "King of the Isles....

Welcome back to "This Day in Scottish History." I'm your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we’re lacing up our football boots to celebrate a monumental moment in Scotland’s sporting history. On this day, January 5, 1869, Kilmarnock Football Club, Scotland's oldest professional association football team, was founded. The story of Kilmarnock F.C. begins in the bustling industrial town of Kilmarnock,...

Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History ! I’m your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into an event that transformed the financial and insurance industries not just in Scotland, but globally. On January 4, 1856, the Faculty of Actuaries was formally established in Edinburgh, marking a pivotal moment in the development of the actuarial profession. The mid-19th century was a time of tremend...