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Sir James Young, the founder of modern gynaecology, first introduced ether, then chloroform as anaesthetics in midwifery in 1846.

The “father of antiseptic surgery” was working as house surgeon at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary when he initiated the procedure of soaking instruments and surgical gauzes in carbolic acid. Results were miraculous, doing much to prevent fatal infections following operations.

No sound is more evocative of Scotland than that of the bagpipes. The great highland pipes are played by pipe and drum bands, and by individuals playing for competition or dancing. Over the last two decades bagpipes have also emerged onto the stage of world music alongside every other conceivable instrument.

The site of the decisive battle in 1314 (see Battle of Bannockburn) is marked by a visitor centre and an arresting equestrian statue of Robert the Bruce. At the centre, kids can try on helmets and chainmail, and view Bruce’s cave to watch the fabled spider who inspired him to renew his fight.

Facing an English onslaught in 1314, the Scots – led by Robert the Bruce – achieved a dazzling victory. By defeating the English, the Scots won back their nation and their pride. Their right to independence was ratified by Papal bull in 1329, though the war with England continued for another 300 years.

In 1745, James VII’s grandson “Bonnie Prince Charlie” secretly sailed from France to Scotland to reclaim the British throne. He amassed an army which fought its way to a panic-stricken London. Short of their goal, the “Jacobites” lost heart and returned north. The Hanoverian army, augmented by royalist Scots, slaughtered the rebels at Culloden, the last battle fought on British soil.

To assist France, James IV invaded England in 1513 and met the enemy just over the border at Flodden. In the massacre that followed, 10,000 Scots died, James included, and, as his heir was still an infant, a power struggle and an era of instability ensued.

As a young blacksmith, Macmillan saw a child riding a hobby-horse and decided to make one of his own. He experimented with pedals and cranks, and in 1840 built the first bicycle, which he immediately rode from Dumfriesshire to Glasgow – a journey of two days.