Early submarines were not taken seriously. David Hayman, War at Sea: Scotland’s Story II
But as the Dreadnought war ended, the U-boat war intensified dramatically. ibid.
Lusitania: single torpedo killed 1,198 lives. ibid.
The German war effort and the German people were both being starved by the British naval blockade. ibid.
The sea war would end four days later in Fife. ibid.
‘It is a British unionist institution; its Britishness is the norm and its Scottishness is the aberration. London Calling, 2015, critic #1, 2015
‘Wow! The usual impartiality of the British Brainwashing Corporation at its best.’ ibid. Alex Salmond in response to BBC presenter’s question
2014: ‘Today there have been further warnings about the possible negative consequences of Scottish independence.’ ibid.
2012 BBC headlines: ‘Scottish independence, pensions shortfall warning’ … I found eighteen examples of a BBC headline that combined the words independence and warning. ibid. Craig Murray
‘Pumped out all day again and again.’ ibid.
‘This MP’s idea that there will be some quick fix and that an independent Scotland can just rejoin NATO without any difficulties is fanciful.’ ibid. Jim Murphy
‘… to see the horrendous bias that went on against the Yes campaign before the referendum – to see the BBC used as a political cudgel against a legitimate democratic movement – really broke my heart.’ ibid. Peter Mullen
‘It was a form of anti-Scottish racism.’ ibid. critic #1
The highlands of Scotland have witnessed many upheavals. But they’ve seen nothing like what’s happening in the glens north of Inverness. Here one man is trying to realise a big idea – Paul Lister is trying to bring back wild wild animals that were once common in Scotland: mammals such as moose, wolves and bears that were wiped out centuries ago. Natural World s26e12: Moose in the Glen, BBC 2008
To create a wilderness reserve: plant trees to join up the fragmented woodland, and populate the two glens with moose, lynx, bear and wolves, creatures that were once common here. ibid.
400 years ago Boar were common in Scotland. ibid.
Our planet is filled with signals invisible to the naked eye. And space itself can be just as noisy … Radio waves, micro waves, and gamma rays … Electromagnetic radiation … Electromagnetic waves are at the heart of modern technology … One man published a set of equations in 1865. A man called James Clerk Maxwell. Iain Stewart, Scotland’s Einstein: James Clerk Maxwell: The Man Who Changed the World, BBC 2017
James Clerk Maxwell was a 19th century Scottish scientist … He caused a revolution in Physics. ibid.
Born in Edinburgh in 1831. ibid.
Saturn’s rings were made of millions of icy rocks. In recognition of his [James Clerk Maxwell] work a division between the rings is known as the Maxwell Gap. ibid.
He [James Clerk Maxwell] established that primary colours for light as red, blue and green. ibid.
Maxwell had been interested in electricity … Maxwell had followed Faraday’s work for years and set out to prove him right … Electric and magnetic fields were inextricably linked. ibid.
Last summer, and under cover of darkness a powerful armada bearing down on the British mainland. It’s one of the largest invasion forces to ever threaten our shores. But these aren’t Spanish men of war, they’re Norse longships. And this isn’t the English channel, it’s the west coast of Scotland. The Battle of Largs in 1263 was the last time Norse invaders fought on our soil. The Last Battle of the Vikings, BBC 2019
This is a story of the Vikings of Scotland. It’s a story of brutal violence and pitiless warfare. But it’s also a story of new technology and exquisite art. ibid.
The Viking influence remained. Part of a new nation. ibid.
By the end of the eighth century the Vikings exploded on to the world map. ibid.
They had no qualms about attacking religious sites. ibid.
Slavery, not silver or land, was the real engine of early Viking Scotland. ibid.
A new culture emerged. A new nation was born. It was called Alba … a kingdom united in opposition to and fear of the Vikings. ibid.
In March this year former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond left the High Court in Edinburgh cleared of all charges of sexual misconduct. The verdict concluded one of the most dramatic trials Britain has ever seen, and a tale of political intrigue and alleged crimes has gripped me since the story first hit the headlines. The Trial of Alex Salmond, Kirsty Wark reporting, BBC 2020
He had a kind of pugilist air about him. ibid. Alan Taylor, writer
The graphic testimony of Woman H has generated endless column inches in the press. ibid.
He announced he was suing the government he once led. ibid.
Fourteen criminal charges from ten women. ibid.
In the six months after the new V&A museum in Dundee opened, half a million people walked through its doors … A signature building by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma on Dundee’s waterfront could trigger the regeneration of this city spoiled by insensitive development in the 1960s. The Art of Architecture s1e3: Kengo Kuma ***** Sky Arts 2020
[Shackleton’s] Discovery came home to Dundee in 1986 around the time Kengo Kuma first visited Scotland. His impression of the landscape particularly the cliffs stayed with him and 30 years later would influence his design of Scotland’s newest building. ibid.
The wars of Religion shaped the Europe we live in today. In the sixteenth century religion and power were inextricably linked. At the time of the Renaissance the rulers of Europe’s most important nations fought each other violently in the name of God. The Real War of Thrones s2e1: The True History of Europe: Game of Queens 1542-1559
At the height of the Renaissance the young Queen of Scotland was forced to flee her homeland. The King of France had Europe on tenterhooks and kicked the English out of his kingdom. Meanwhile, the largest empire in the west was breaking apart. Europe was on the verge of thirty years of bloody warfare. ibid.
Unrest in Europe: in England, Queen Elizabeth I was under threat from her Scottish cousin; in Scotland, Mary Stuart was about to lose her throne for love … Despite the death of their leaders, both Catholics and Protestants refuse to quit; in Flanders, the revolt against the King of Spain escalates; this was the bloodiest period of the Renaissance. The Real Game of Thrones s2e4: Blood Wedding 1567-1574
The history of Britain has often been shaped by war. Our ancestors fought to defend their lands, their cultures, and their beliefs. Sometimes against invaders like the Normans and the Romans. And other times against their fellow countrymen. Rob Bell, Britain’s Lost Battlefields s1e1: The Battle of Bannockburn, Channel 5 2020
I’m curious to learn more of the key battles in British history to discover how they’ve influenced our past and our present … To find out how six key battles changed the path of this country. ibid.
One of the most important battles in Scottish history. A battle still celebrated to this day … 1314: 8,000 Scots squared up against the mighty English army of at least 12 men … the Battle of Bannockburn. ibid.
Robert the Bruce: He’s going to have to defeat Edward II himself … He’ll arrive with huge numbers of professional soldiers … One of the most significant battles in British history. ibid.
In 1314 Robert the Bruce and his Scottish army surrounded the English stronghold of Stirling Castle and kept it under siege for a year. This prompted the King of England to bring an army into Scotland to relieve the castle. ibid.
‘The baggage train was something like 20 miles long.’ ibid. historian
The first day of the battle of Bannockburn couldn’t have gone better for the Scots Robert the Bruce killing an English knight by slamming an axe into his helmet. ibid.