1864 James Clerk Maxwell

James Clerk Maxwell (1831 - 1879) was a Scottish mathematical physicist. His most notable achievement was to formulate the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, bringing together for the first time electricity, magnetism, and light as manifestations of the same phenomenon. Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism have been called the "second great unification in physics" after the first one realized by Isaac Newton. Maxwell demonstrated that electric and magnetic fields travel through space as waves moving at the speed of light (A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field in 1865). The unification of light and electrical phenomena led to the prediction of the existence of radio waves.

1846 Highland Potato Famine

The Highland Potato Famine was a famine caused by potato blight that struck the Scottish Highlands. While the mortality rate was less than other Scottish famines in the 1690s, and 1780, the Highland potato famine caused over 1.7 million people to leave Scotland during the period 1846 - 52. Famine was a real prospect throughout the period, and certainly it was one of severe malnutrition, serious disease, crippling financial hardship and traumatic disruption to essentially agrarian communities. The causes of the crisis were similar to those of the Great Irish Famine and both famines were part of the wider food crisis facing Northern Europe.

1804 The Glasgow Herald newspaper

The Herald is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. It is said to be the longest running national newspaper in the world and the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. It is printed at Cambuslang, just outside Glasgow. The newspaper was founded by John Mennons as a weekly publication called the Advertiser. Mennons left the newspaper in 1802. The new owners changed the name to The Herald and Advertiser and Commercial Chronicle in 1803 and to The Glasgow Herald in 1804. It became the Glasgow Herald in 1834 and began daily publication in 1858.

1769 James Watt

James Watt (1736 - 1819) was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world. Watt attempted to commercialise his invention, but experienced great financial difficulties until he entered a partnership with Matthew Boulton in 1775. The new firm of Boulton and Watt was eventually highly successful and Watt became a wealthy man. Watt continued to develop new inventions though none was as significant as his steam engine work. He developed the concept of horsepower and the SI unit of power, the watt, was named after him. 

1754 Joseph Black discovers "fixed air" - carbon dioxide

Joseph Black (1728 - 1799) was born in Bordeaux, France, where his father, who was from Belfast, Ireland, was engaged in the wine trade. His mother was from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and her family was also in the wine business. Joseph had twelve brothers and sisters. He was a Scottish physician and chemist, known for his discoveries of latent heat, specific heat, and carbon dioxide (chemical formula CO₂). He was Professor of Anatomy and Chemistry at the University of Glasgow for 10 years from 1756, and then Professor of Medicine and Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh from 1766, teaching and lecturing there for more than 30 years. The chemistry buildings at both the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow are named after Black.

1715 Jacobite risings

The Jacobite risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings had the aim of returning James VII of Scotland and II of England to the throne of Great Britain after they had been deposed by Parliament during the Glorious Revolution. The series of conflicts takes its name from Jacobitism, from Jacobus, the Latin form of James. The "first Jacobite rebellion" and "second Jacobite rebellion" were known respectively as "the Fifteen" and "the Forty-five", after the years in which they occurred (1715 and 1745). The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising.

1695 The Bank of Scotland created by Act of Parliament

The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland was established by an Act of the Parliament of Scotland on 17 July 1695, the Act for erecting a Bank in Scotland, opening for business in February 1696. The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in the United Kingdom (the Bank of England having been established one year before), and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to remain in existence. It was also the first bank in Europe to print its own banknotes; it continues to print its own sterling banknotes under legal arrangements which allow Scottish banks to issue currency.