#scottisih

On September 20th 1842 James Dewar, inventor of the vacuum flask, born in Kincardine-on-Forth.

He was educated at Kincardine Parish School and then Dollar Academy. His parents died when he was 15. He attended the University of Edinburgh where he studied chemistry under Lyon Playfair (later Baron Playfair), becoming Playfair's personal assistant. Dewar also studied under August Kekulé at Ghent. Dewar was interested in cryogenics, the science of extreme cold and in 1898 he was the first person to make liquid hydrogen, which at the time was the coldest substance ever produced.

Cooling gas to the point where it liquefies was an expensive process and Dewar needed to find a way to prevent very cold liquids evaporating while he worked with them. He built boxes insulated with cork, hay or crumpled newspapers, but none kept the liquids cold enough. Eventually he designed a double-walled glass flask and removed the air from the space between the two walls, creating a vacuum. Liquid put inside the flask stays at the same temperature because there are no air molecules through which heat can transfer.

In the pic is one of the earliest trial flasks, later vessels had a silver coating to stop the heat being directly transmitted. Nowadays rockets are fuelled by supercooled gases stored in modern Dewar vessels that can keep liquids cold for nearly three years.

Along with Sir Frederick Augustus Abel, James Dewar also developed the explosive cordite. His early work concerned organic chemistry (suggesting a possible structure for benzene, still called ‘Dewar benzene’), atomic spectroscopy and other topics. Nine times he was nominated for a Nobel prize by distinguished international figures but, significantly, by no Britons.

From my friend  David C. Weinczok AKA The Castle Hunter on his blog and Twitter

"Now that I've sorted all 40000+ pics in my photo archive, I'll share 4 Scottish historic sites of all kinds for each letter every day. "

David has given me permission for his pics to be used in his  

#ScottishWondersAtoZ, he supplies the pics I post a wee bit about the location. Hopefully it will give people an idea of where to visit in Scotland when tourism is reopened fully.

A is for Achnbabreck Cup & Ring Marks.

Still in Argyll, these well preserved Bronze Age cup and ring marks decorate a rocky outcrop at Achnabreck, at the amazing Kilmartin Glen.

Were they ritual, symbolic, spiritual, or 'just' an artistic expression? There are more questions than answers. We don't really know how old they are; all we can do is suggest that most similar rock art was carved between 3500 and 1000 BC, and the Achnabreck symbols probably date to the older end of that range, about 3000 BC.

At Achnabreck there are very large concentric ring marks on several rocky outcrops. The rings usually surround rounded depressions, or cup marks, rather like the rings of Saturn surround that planet. Gutters run through some of the rings, usually radiating out and down. Perhaps they were used to channel water out of the cup, but again, we do not know why.

The most impressive feature at Achnabreck is the circumference of the largest rings. These approach 1 metre across, that's a social distancing measure in today's language.

Achnabreck is signposted off the A819 just after it turns north into Kilmartin Glen. A forestry road runs east off the A road to a parking area, and from there a signed trail leads still further east for 500 metres to the carved stones. It should take no more than 10 minutes, and probably less, though good footwear is advisable as the trail can get wet and muddy.

Other carved rock outcrops around Kilmartin Glen include:

Ballygowan

Baluachraig

Cairnbaan

Kilmichael Glassary

Other monuments include:

Dunadd Hill Fort

Dunchraigaig Cairn

Glebe Cairn

Nether Largie North Cairn

Nether Largie Mid Cairn

Nether Largie South Cairn

Ri-Cruin Cairn

Temple Wood Stone Circle.

James Tytler was born in 1745, son of the minister at Fearn in Angus, and after a good education at the parish school, and two or three years as a surgeon’s apprentice in Forfar, he made his way to Edinburgh to study medicine at the University. The following summer, 1765, he took service aboard the Royal Bounty, a Leith whaler, as ship’s surgeon. Then came the first of many misfortunes during his life – he got married. The marriage was hasty and he now had to earn enough to support his wife, making the continuance of his studies impossible. He set up business in Leith as a pharmacist. Business was poor, eventually forcing him to flee to England, out of the reach of his creditors.

He returned to Edinburgh, now with five children as well, and set about making a living from what seemed to be his greatest skill - writing. He was a very prolific writer and editor, although the vast majority of his work went anonymously, being employed in the main by other writers and publishers. He is renowned to have had an amazing skill at editing, being able to précis an item as quickly as most people could read it.

After some attempts at his own publications, a spell in the debtors' sanctuary at Holyrood, and his wife leaving him, he eventually found steady employment in editing the second edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, much underpaid at sixteen shillings a week. He spent the next six or seven years at this monumental work while living at Duddingston, using an upturned tub as a writing desk. The Encyclopaedia filled over 9,000 pages and it was during his researches for one of the appendices, covering Air Balloons and their development in the past year, that his interest was sparked.

He set about constructing his Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon with very little money and probably even less public support. He charged 6d to see a model, and eventually had his balloon ready for a public inflation, though not for a flight. At the time Edinburgh had a building nicknamed "the largest pigeon-house in Europe" - the partly built Register House at the East End of Princes Street. This made an excellent venue for Tytler to test his 40 foot tall balloon, the unfinished dome providing shelter and support.

James Tytler then advertised the public ascent, to be held at Comely Garden (a pleasure garden, now the site of Milton Street, Waverley Park, and the Elsie Inglis Hospital) on 6 August 1784. Needless to say, James had his normal luck - bad luck - all his attempts being dogged by either technical problems or the weather. The press attacked him, and the mob attacked his balloon. Discouraged but not beaten, he was ready again towards the end of the month.

On Wednesday 25 August he inflated the balloon at an early hour in the morning, left the fire burning for another hour, stepped into his basket, and was released. The Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon rose from the ground, tethered. According to the Edinburgh Evening Courant "the balloon, together with the projector himself, and basket in which he sat, were fairly floated". Two days later he had even greater success, "navigating the atmosphere" for about half a mile to Restalrig, and on the 31st he made another ascent. Thus were made the first flights from British soil, predating both Lunardi and Sadler. Tytler was famous. A hero. Until another attempt failed and the ignorant press again criticised him.

James Tytler's life after his ballooning successes was no less interesting, with another stay in the Holyrood sanctuary, further writing and publishing, divorce proceedings, another wife and more children, and eventually an indictment for seditious libel which led to his being outlawed. His last few years were spent in Salem, Massachusetts ., where he died in 1804.

As crowds across the street look on and boo,  Boris attempts to dominate the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon  by ushering her into Bute house.  This is what UN consultant and former diplomatic attaché had to say about it....

On August 19th 1994 Graham Obree, from Irvine in Ayrshire, broke the world record and became the world pursuit cycle champion over 4,000 metres in Hamar, Norway.

Born in 1965, Graeme Obree developed a keen interest in cycling as a youngster and regularly cycled long distances by his early teens. Graeme went on to regularly win senior races as a junior.

Francesco Moser’s hour record set in 1984 inspired Graeme and he went on to break it using his own ‘crouch’ position and a bike known as ‘Old Faithful’. He lost the record to Chris Boardman six days later but made good by winning the World Pursuit title that year and regaining the record in Bordeaux, France the following year, covering 52.713kms.

His innovative riding styles were adopted by other riders before being banned by the governing body at the time.

Graeme broke several British records in his time as a professional athlete as well as winning seven British titles including the 1997 Time Trial Championship in which he rode in a conventional position in order to show his ability as an athlete.

From my friend David C. Weinczok AKA The Castle Hunter on his blog and Twitter.

"Now that I've sorted all 40000+ pics in my photo archive, I'll share 4 Scottish historic sites of all kinds for each letter every day. "

David has given me permission for his pics to be used in his  #ScottishWondersAtoZ, he supplies the pics I post a wee bit about the location. Hopefully it will give people an idea of where to visit in Scotland when tourism is reopened fully. 

A is for Abernethy Round Tower.

Abernethy Round Tower is one of the two round towers of Irish style surviving in Scotland, dating from the end of the 11th century. The tower is 15ft in diameter at its base and 74ft high it can be found in the village of Abernethy off the A913 road,east of the Bridge of Earn, Perth and Kinross. 

The tower is originally thought to have served as a bell tower for an adjacent church, as well as providing a secure place for members of the community and their treasured possessions in times of danger.

The walls are  3.5 ft thick. The 12 lower layers are of a different coloured stone to the rest of the building, leading to speculation that the base was built earlier than the rest. There are indications that the tower originally had six wooden floors, probably connected by ladders.

Excavations to the tower in 1821 uncovered a skeleton and fragments of an urn. Below these were flagstones and ‘many more human bones’, including seven skulls. These burials pre-date the construction of the tower, but by how long is not certain.

Various changes have been made to the tower over the years, including the installation of an iron spiral staircase when it became a lookout tower, windows and an outside clock. The current clock dates from 1868. A pictish stone, unearthed in Abernethy’s School Wynd and mounted was added in the early 20th century, the tower also has an iron joug or pillory attached.

Quite why or how Abernethy acquired its bell tower is a mystery. The other Tower is further up the East in Brechin.