Scottish inventions and discoveries

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"the most significant event of the 19th century will be judged as Maxwell’s discovery of the laws of electrodynamics"

Scottish inventions and discoveries are objects, processes or techniques either partially or entirely invented or discovered by a person born in or descended from Scotland. In some cases, an invention's Scottishness is determined by the fact that it came into existence in Scotland (e.g., animal cloning), by non-Scots working in the country. Often, things that are discovered for the first time are also called "inventions" and in many cases there is no clear line between the two.

The Scots take enormous pride in the history of Scottish invention and discovery. There are many books devoted solely to the subject, as well as scores of websites listing Scottish inventions and discoveries with varying degrees of science.

Even before the Industrial Revolution, Scots have been at the forefront of innovation and discovery across a wide range of spheres. Some of the most significant products of Scottish ingenuity include James Watt's steam engine, improving on that of Thomas Newcomen,[1] the bicycle,[2] macadamisation (not to be confused with Tarmac or Tarmacadam[3]), the telephone invented by Alexander Graham Bell,[4] John Logie Baird's invention of television,[5][6] Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin,[7] and the discoveries of electromagnetics, radar,[8] and insulin.[9]

The following is a list of inventions or discoveries that are some way Scottish.

Contents

[edit] Road transport innovations

[edit] Civil engineering innovations

[edit] Aviation innovations

  • Aircraft design: Frank Barnwell (1910) Establishing the fundamentals of aircraft design at the University of Glasgow.[20]

[edit] Power innovations

[edit] Shipbuilding innovations

[edit] Military innovations

[edit] Heavy industry innovations

[edit] Agricultural innovations

[edit] Communication innovations

[edit] Publishing firsts

[edit] Scientific innovations

[edit] Sports innovations

Scots have been instrumental in the invention and early development of several sports:

[edit] Medical innovations

[edit] Household innovations

[edit] Weapons innovations

[edit] Miscellaneous innovations

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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  3. ^ a b "Encyclopædia Britannica: John Loudon Mcadam (British inventor)". http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/353599/John-Loudon-McAdam. Retrieved 2010-06-13. 
  4. ^ a b "Scottish Science Hall of Fame - Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)". http://www.nls.uk/scientists/biographies/alexander-graham-bell/index.html. Retrieved 2010-02-20. 
  5. ^ a b "BBC - History - John Logie Baird". http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/baird_logie.shtml. Retrieved 2008-12-31. 
  6. ^ a b The World's First High Definition Colour Television System. McLean, p. 196.
  7. ^ a b "Nobelprize.org: Sir Alexander Fleming - Biography". http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1945/fleming-bio.html. Retrieved 2008-12-31. 
  8. ^ a b "Radar Personalities: Sir Robert Watson-Watt". http://www.radarpages.co.uk/people/watson-watt/watson-watt.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-31. 
  9. ^ a b "Nobelprize.org: John Macleod - Biography". http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1923/macleod-bio.html. Retrieved 2008-12-31. 
  10. ^ "Robert William Thomson, Scotland's forgotten inventor". http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/RobertWilliamThomson.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-13. 
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  17. ^ The life of Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer: With an introductory history of roads and travelling in Great Britain J. Murray, 1867
  18. ^ John Rennie 1761 - 1821 Manchester University Press ND
  19. ^ The industrial archaeology of Scotland, Volume 2 Macmillan of Canada, 1977 - Social Science
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  33. ^ Houses of glass: a nineteenth-century building type By Georg Kohlmaier, Barna von Sartory, John C. Harvey
  34. ^ Dictionary of energy By Cutler J. Cleveland, Chris Morris
  35. ^ Materials processing defects By Swadhin Kumar Ghosh, M. Predeleanu
  36. ^ Iron: An illustrated weekly journal for iron and steel .., Volume 63 by Sholto Percy
  37. ^ Repertory of patent inventions and other discoveries and improvements in arts, manufactures and agriculture MacIntosh 1846
  38. ^ American narrow gauge railroads By George Woodman Hilton
  39. ^ Nature: international journal of science 1917 MacMillan
  40. ^ Annual report of the Indiana State Board of Agriculture, Volume 2 By Indiana. State Board of Agriculture, Indiana. Geological Survey
  41. ^ Great Scots By Betty Kirkpatrick
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  46. ^ The complete guide to trees of Britain and Northern Europe Alan F. Mitchell, David More
  47. ^ "William Ged (Scottish goldsmith)". http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/227656/William-Ged. Retrieved 2010-06-13. 
  48. ^ "roller printing (textile industry)". http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/507124/roller-printing. Retrieved 2010-06-13. 
  49. ^ "Arbroath & District Stamp & Postcard Club". http://www.scotstamps.co.uk/arbroath.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-19. 
  50. ^ Communication and empire: media, markets, and globalization, 1860-1930 By Dwayne Roy Winseck, Robert M. Pike
  51. ^ Military communications: from ancient times to the 21st century By Christopher H. Sterling
  52. ^ The worldwide history of telecommunications By Anton A. Huurdeman
  53. ^ Radiolocation in Ubiquitous Wireless Communication By Danko Antolovic
  54. ^ "Who Invented the ATM? The James Goodfellow Story". http://www.atmmachine.com/goodfellow_atminventor.html. Retrieved 2011-08-26. 
  55. ^ Encyclopaedic visions: scientific dictionaries and enlightenment culture By Natasha J. Yeo
  56. ^ The Early history of surgery William John Bishop - 1995
  57. ^ Twenty Medical Classics of the Jefferson Era http://www.hsl.virginia.edu/historical/rare_books/classics/#Cullen
  58. ^ Picture Postcards By C W Hill
  59. ^ Ernest William Hobson. John Napier and the invention of logarithms, 1614. The University Press, 1914.
  60. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica - James Clerk Maxwell
  61. ^ http://www2.ph.ed.ac.uk/peter-higgs/
  62. ^ Memoirs of John Napier of Merchiston: his lineage, life, and times, with a .. By Mark Napier
  63. ^ "Founder of the modern oil industry to be honoured". BBC News. 2011-11-08. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15648088. 
  64. ^ Popular Astronomy By Simon Newcomb
  65. ^ Logic, language, information and computation: 15th international workshop, WoLLIC 2008, Edinburgh, UK, July 1–4, 2008
  66. ^ Chambers's encyclopaedia: a dictionary of universal knowledge for the people Appleton 1864
  67. ^ Biology: Concepts and Applications Without Physiology By Cecie Starr, Christine A. Evers, Lisa Starr
  68. ^ The Discovery of Hypnosis- The Complete Writings of James Braid, the Father of Hypnotherapy James Braid, Donald Robertson (ed.) 2009
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  70. ^ Colloid chemistry Robert James Hartman, Herman Thompson Briscoe Houghton Mifflin Co., 1947
  71. ^ Chemistry and chemical reactivity, Volume 2 By John C. Kotz, Paul Treichel, John Raymond Townsend
  72. ^ Scottish pride: 101 reasons to be proud of your Scottish heritage Heather Duncan
  73. ^ Criminalistics: Forensic Science and Crime By James Girard
  74. ^ Noble Gases By Jens Thomas
  75. ^ The world of the atom Henry Abraham Boorse, Lloyd Motz Basic Books, inc., 1966
  76. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica: Lord Boyd Orr
  77. ^ Ian Donald's Practical Obstetric Problem, 6/e By Renu Misra
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  79. ^ A history of neurosurgery: in its scientific and professional contexts By Samuel H. Greenblatt, T. Forcht Dagi
  80. ^ From Sea Urchins to Dolly the Sheep: Discovering Cloning Sally Morgan Heinemann/Raintree, 2007
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  82. ^ http://news.stv.tv/internet-technology/206620-scientists-reveal-material-for-invisibility-cloak/
  83. ^ A Handbook of determinative methods in clay mineralogy Michael Jeffrey Wilson, Michael John Wilson Blackie, 1987
  84. ^ a b c Encyclopedia of sports science John Zumerchik Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1997
  85. ^ Curling: the ancient Scottish game James Taylor W. Paterson, 1887 - Sports & Recreation
  86. ^ Sports and games of the 18th and 19th centuries Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003 p84
  87. ^ The Wheelmen Wheelmen (Organization) 2000
  88. ^ Sport in the making of Celtic cultures By Grant Jarvie
  89. ^ "The Origins of Sevens Rugby". http://www.sevensrugby.co.za/history.htm. Retrieved 2010-11-12. 
  90. ^ Drug discovery: a history By Walter Sneader
  91. ^ Karch's pathology of drug abuse By Steven B. Karch
  92. ^ The Discovery of Hypnosis- The Complete Writings of James Braid, the Father of Hypnotism By James Braid, Donald Robertson (ed.)
  93. ^ Assam Branch, Indian Tea Association, 1889-1989: centenary souvenir
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  104. ^ Did Thomas Crapper Really Invent the Toilet?: The Inventions That Changed Our Homes and Our Lives Catherine O'Reilly
  105. ^ Case Studies in Superconducting Magnets: Design and Operational Issues By Yukikazu Iwasa
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  107. ^ The wonders of the piano: the anatomy of the instrument Catherine C. Bielefeldt, Alfred R. Weil
  108. ^ http://www.jstor.org/pss/20612107
  109. ^ The Picture History of Great Inventors By Gillian Clements
  110. ^ The kaleidoscope, its history, theory and construction with its application By Sir David Brewster
  111. ^ Grass tennis courts: how to construct and maintain them By J. Perris
  112. ^ Wonders of the nineteenth century: a panoramic review of the inventions and discoveries of the past hundred years John Wesley Hanson W. B. Conkey, 1900
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  114. ^ the commercial directory and shipers guide 1875
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  116. ^ Thompson, William Phillips (1920). Handbook of patent law of all countries. London: Stevens. pp. 42
  117. ^ An account of some remarkable applications of the electric fluid to the useful arts by Alexander Bain
  118. ^ Alexander Bain of Watten: genius of the North Robert P. Gunn Caithness Field Club, 1976
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  120. ^ The Ferguson Rifle by Louis L'Amour
  121. ^ Rifles of the World By John Walter
  122. ^ Long Rifle: A Sniper's Story in Iraq and Afghanistan By Joe LeBleu
  123. ^ Blood on the Nash Ambassador: investigations in American culture Eric Mottram Hutchinson Radius, 1989
  124. ^ Raynor, Tauria (2008-10-30). "Boys' Brigade want alumni to return for a special anniversary". The Royal Gazette. http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d8af2f30030024&sectionId=60. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  125. ^ The Focal encyclopedia of photography By Leslie Stroebel, Richard D. Zakia

[edit] Publications

  • Great Scottish Discoveries and Inventions, Bill Fletcher, William W. Fletcher, John Harrold, Drew, 1985, University of California, ISBN 0862670845, 9780862670849
  • Great Scottish inventions and discoveries: a concise guide : a selection of Scottish inventions and discoveries made over a period stretching back to the fifteenth century, John Geddes, Northern Books, 1994
  • Scottish Inventors, Alistair Fyfe, HarperCollins, 1999, ISBN 0004723260, 9780004723266
  • The Scottish invention of America, democracy and human rights: a history of liberty and freedom from the ancient Celts to the New Millennium, Alexander Leslie Klieforth, Robert John Munro, University Press of America, 2004, ISBN 0761827919, 9780761827917
  • The Scottish invention of English literature, Robert Crawford, Cambridge University Press, 1998, ISBN 0521590388, 9780521590389
  • Philosophical chemistry in the Scottish enlightenment: the doctrines and discoveries of William Cullen and Joseph Black, Arthur L. Donovan

[edit] External links

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