Scotland has given rise to many more famous people, notable in the arts, literature, the sciences and as inventors, philosophers, architects and so on than would be expected for a country of such modest size and population.
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Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922) Born in Edinburgh. Having emigrated to Canada and later the USA, Bell became the inventor of the telephone in 1876. |
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John Logie Baird (1888 - 1946) Engineer. Inventor of the television and later developed ideas such as colour, 3-D and large screen television. Also took out a patent on fibre-optics, a technology now used to carry many telephone calls and traffic on the internet. |
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Sean Connery (1930 - ) Actor. Perhaps best known as James Bond, but more recent roles have included "The Untouchables", for which he won an Oscar and the "Hunt for Red October". Also an accomplished amateur golfer. |
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Sir Alexander Fleming (1881 - 1955) Born in Ayrshire, he discovered the world's first antibiotic drug - Penicillin. This was as a result of an "accident" where mould was allowed to grow on a bacterial culture. Fleming was knighted and received the Nobel Prize in 1944. |
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Sir James Young Simpson (1811 - 1870) Obstetrician, and son of a baker. Pioneer in the use of anaesthetics, particularly chloroform, developing its use in surgery and midwifery. He championed its use against medical and religious opposition. Queen Victoria used chloroform during child-birth, and this brought general acceptance. Also pioneered obstetric techniques and responsible for much reform of hospital practice. |
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Jackie Stewart (1939 - ) Racing car driver, who won the World Championship three times, turned Olympic clay pigeon shooter. In 1997, together with his son, he launched his own Formula One motor racing team. He was born in Dumbarton. |