What do penicillin, the telephone and television all have in common? While it sounds like the setup for an odd joke the answer is that they were all invented by Scottish people and it is often said that “Scots invented the modern world”.
Certainly, Scotland has been at the forefront of all sorts of revolutionary change from our architecture to our religion, arts, politics, literature and more. To explore and celebrate this rich heritage, we asked our Scotsman readers who their “most influential Scot of all time” was and in response we received hundreds of fascinating nominations.
Now, in this list condensed to seventeen nominations, let’s explore these Scottish icons and unpack their legacies which earned them the respect of being thought of as the ‘most influential Scots’ of all time.
9. John Knox
John Knox, born near Edinburgh in 1505, is considered the ‘most famous Scottish Reformer’ by many. Best known for his influence over Presbyterianism and Protestantism, Knox went on to be a leader in the Scottish Reformation in 1546 prior to being imprisoned and exiled overseas. He lived a life “filled with dedication to his beliefs” and his work in the reformation of Scotland is of huge significance to the history of the church. Photo: via WikiCommons and calotype46 on Flickr
10. Sir Walter Scott
To this day, the novels and poetry of Sir Walter Scott are considered romantic literature classics and he is often credited as the ‘inventor of the historical fiction genre’ who inspired generations of future writers. In 1818, the Scottish novelist famously rediscovered the Honours of Scotland (the oldest Crown jewels in Britain). They were hidden from Oliver Cromwell’s army and later locked in a chest and sealed away following the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 1707. Their rediscovery was a major historical event. Photo: via WikiCommons
11. John Logie Baird
John Logie Baird was an electrical engineer and inventor born in Helensburgh on the West Coast of Scotland as the youngest of four children. Baird is credited as the “Father of Television” as he famously became the first person to demonstrate a working television. It is said that Baird’s dream (aside from other earlier innovations of his) was to create a way of transmitting and receiving moving images. Photo: via Geograph and Picryl
12. Mary Slessor
Mary Slessor was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary who went to Nigeria. There, her charismatic nature won her the trust of the local people to whom she promoted Christianity and human rights. She lived among the Efik people in Calabar and learned to speak their native Efic tongue. She is perhaps most famous for successfully fighting against the practice of infanticide there e.g., killing twins at birth. The Mary Slessor Organisation said: “Her work to try to stop twin murders, rescue abandoned children, improve the lives of women and develop trade links between tribes, made a huge impact on the future development of the country.” Photo: via WikiCommons and GetArchive