General History

[Beaupre]

HELLO, ALL!

Who can tell me why this date was so important in Scottish History?

BEAUPRE

[Graeme]

Easy. Mary Queen of Scots was born on this day in 1542.

[Beaupre]

SMARTY PANTS!!!!!!!!!!!

Beaupre

[Graeme]

SMARTY PANTS!!!!!!!!!!!
[/b]

Aye, that's me. :P

Now who was the Scottish inventor of radio transmission?

[rhona]

Was it Logie Baird??? I know he 's responsible for TV--- but we cant blame him for all the trashy stuff can we?!!

Well cousins---Today on the 16 th January 2007 Big Brother( IE:Blair inc.) is telling us we ought to be celebrating the 1707 union with England--- but 300 yrs ago it was so unpopular among Scots that the vital documents were to be signed secretly in a dirty dank cellar opposite the Tron church in Edinburgh's High St----then--the story goes ; rumours of a mob gathering outside sent the signitaries scurrying down the hill to hide in a garden behind the Canongate.
The English had been given exagerrated reports of hostilities by the devious spy Daniel Defoe (author of "Robinson Crusoe-") --- you could say he was an 18th century spin doctor too !
Altthough --I must tell you when I was a cheeky young tour guide in Edinburgh ---we used to spin it out a bit ourselves ----we told vistors that the Union was signed in a stinking compost heap at the foot of a garden in the dark--when in fact the deed was most likely done in the ornate gazebo of the gorgeous Moray House gardens!
Funny coincidence that today of all days our current scaremonger extrordinaire and "Westminster spy" John Reid has put armed guards around the Scottish oil installations-----why now- so long after 9/11 etc.??
Is he more afraid of a Scotland scorned ,scunnered and filing for divorce???