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What has Edinburgh given the world?


Guest Alex Guttenplan

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What truly world class things has Edinburgh given the world? It can be anything you like.

 

I'll start us off with a few people: Sir Chris Hoy, Tony Blair, John Napier, David Hume and that author I've forgotten the name of and Sir Sean Connery surely counts as well.

 

Then there's Grand Theft Auto - Edinburgh had a big hand in developing that series. The Edinburgh Festival (even though it gets on my nerves). Don't think we can really claim Harry Potter, can we?

 

Anything else? Distinct lack of musicians from Edinburgh.

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alwaysthereinspirit

Telephone and TV are pretty much a worldwide thingymajig to be pretty proud of.

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Telephone and TV are pretty much a worldwide thingymajig to be pretty proud of.

 

Forgot the telephone but can we really claim TV?

 

Edit - not sure Fleming was from Edinburgh.

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Forgot the telephone but can we really claim TV?

 

Edit - not sure Fleming was from Edinburgh.

 

Fleming never invented the telly.

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Edinburgh has provided the definitive academic case studies on how not to build a tram line or a parliament building.

 

Not sure if I'm proud of this though.

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Telephone and TV are pretty much a worldwide thingymajig to be pretty proud of.

 

We invented neither.

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Say What Again
and that author I've forgotten the name of

 

JK Rowling? :10900:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Louis Stevenson? Sir Walter Scott?

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JK Rowling? :10900:

 

 

Robert Louis Stevenson? Sir Walter Scott?

 

She's not from Edinburgh either. I'll Wiki who I was thinking of later..

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Say What Again
She's not from Edinburgh either.

 

Hence the big smiley mate.

 

She's not even Scottish.

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Eldar Hadzimehmedovic

Had Alexander Graham Bell not long gone by the time he invented the telephone? Both Canada and the US claim the phone as their invention. Also, all three countries included Bell in their Greatest Ever...TV programmes.

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Carl Weathers

Ken Buchanan - one of the best ever lightweight boxers.

 

Boards of Canada - Electronic music producers from Edinburgh.

 

Heart of Midlothian FC - the greatest name in world football.

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Alexander Graham Bell

Well, he knew darned well

That he could find the only way

To talk across the USA

Telephone, telephone

Never be on your own

Many many years ago

He started something with his first "Hello, hello"

Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham, Alexander Graham

Alexander Graham Bell

 

:2thumbsup: :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup:

 

Sadly, they don't write them like that anymore. And the most poignant thing is that the singer's brother was Mark McManus of Taggart fame.

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chester copperpot

If Edinburgh didn't have Hibs as their team, then there's no doubt in my mind that Brazil would not be the superpower they are to this day.

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JK Rowling? :10900:

 

She's not from Edinburgh either. I'll Wiki who I was thinking of later..

 

Muriel Spark?

 

Incidentally Rowling isn't from Edinburgh but wrote the Harry Potter stories after moving here. Conan Doyle was from Edinburgh but wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories after leaving so you should be able to claim at least one of them.

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I had never heard the term 'diddy ride' until i entered Edinburgh! To this day i have not a clue what it means!!

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I had never heard the term 'diddy ride' until i entered Edinburgh! To this day i have not a clue what it means!!

 

It's a really rubbish taxi journey.

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dodethejambo

Anaesthetics - James Simpson

 

'Dolly' The Sheep

 

hypodermic syringe - Alexander Wood

 

Digestive biscuit was invented by McVitie's in Edinburgh in 1892 by Alexander Grant

 

:2thumbsup:

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I had never heard the term 'diddy ride' until i entered Edinburgh! To this day i have not a clue what it means!!

 

It's one of the most exciting journeys a man can take.

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Rupert Pupkin

SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE,creator of SHERLOCK HOLMES.

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jambos are go!

There is much debate about Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone. Most thinking now is that he stole the patent from an Italian who died before he could sue. Stephen Fry put this forward on QI a wee while ago.

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Anything else? Distinct lack of musicians from Edinburgh.

 

 

Shirley Manson .

 

And not so musical, but owing his academic learning to auld reekie....the anti creationist Charles Darwin

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Cocteau Twins. Thought they were from Grangemouth

 

 

 

 

Anaesthetics - James Simpson Born in Bathgate and is one of there most famous sons.

 

 

:2thumbsup:

 

Kirsty Gallagher is also from Bathgate or least her auld man is.

 

Logie Baird was from somewhere near Helensburgh,Bell didnt invent the telephone( according to Q.I)

 

Lorne sausages named after some bloke fae Kirkintilloch.

 

Belhaven is in ****ing dunbar surely?

 

-50 if this was Q.I :10900:

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I P Knightley
There is much debate about Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone. Most thinking now is that he stole the patent from an Italian who died before he could sue. Stephen Fry put this forward on QI a wee while ago.

 

I think that's more broadly accepted than just QI (although Stephen Fry's seal of approval pretty much settles it).

 

Bell worked in a patent office.

 

The Italian chappie lodged the patent for his invention but didn't have enough money to see the process through and, as you say, died before he could finish it off.

 

Bell discovered the paperwork, tippexed out the Italian's name and put the thing forward as his own.

 

If we're claiming Alexander Graham Bell, we should also claim Burke & Hare!!

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Only a Game

Floodlights

Flare football

Shirt sponsorship

Electric scoreboards

Bridges of Doom

Incontinent Taxi Drivers

Massage Parlour stalkers

Record cup failures for a major city football club

 

The list is endless

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Wouldn't have been any radio, television, radar etc without one of the greatest scientific minds of all time .... Edinburgh's own James Clerk Maxwell ... even Einstein had James's framed photo on his wall... and revered him. Terrible that he doesn't get the public recognition he deserved ... but amongst his peers, he's regarded to have had the most profound ideas alongside Newton

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Sheriff Fatman

Musicians

 

Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull spent his early years here.

Shirley Manson

Idlewild

The Exploited

The Bay City Rollers

Sir Harry Lauder

 

Others

 

Magnus Magnusson spent much of his childhood here

Alister Sim

Dario Franchitti

Gavin and Scott Hastings

John Knox

David Hume (Philosopher and Historian)

David Wilkie

Sir Douglas Haig

John Witherspoon (signator of the American Declaration of Independence

Jimmy Finlayson (actor, regularly worked with Laurel and Hardey and gave Homer Simpson his catch phrase) was educated here.

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jamboinglasgow

world's first municipal fire service, founded in 1824 by James Braidwood. He formed it after a massive fire hits Edinburgh. Went on to create the London Fire Brigade.

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world's first municipal fire service, founded in 1824 by James Braidwood. He formed it after a massive fire hits Edinburgh. Went on to create the London Fire Brigade.

 

 

Edinburgh has also given us JiG's dance moves.

 

:laugh:

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