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What has Edinburgh given the world?


Guest Alex Guttenplan

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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!!

 

 

Surely then we can claim the invention of Tippex then?

:10900:

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The biggest international festival in the world.

 

Burke & Hare

 

Surgeons Hall

 

Deacon Brodie (him of the pub) , the original 'Jekyll & Hyde' for RLS.

 

All day boozers , long before it happened in England.

 

Sir Henry Raeburn

 

The first Scotland V Engerlund rugby game at Raeburn Pl.

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John Knox

 

The Enlightenment

 

Somebody has mentioned the Act of Covenant, but I don't think people realise just how much that has shaped our nation.

 

If I mention Darien, is that an Edinburgh thing and did it have a world reaching effect? It resulted in the Union, which in turn made the British Empire possible, so yes, The Darien Project, envisioned in Edinburgh, changed the world.

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Civil Jambo
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.

 

I think it was orginally developed in dundee....but the latest series was done in Edinburgh!!

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Anaesthetics - James Simpson

 

 

 

:2thumbsup:

 

Was he not from Bathgate - I'm sure there was always a sign about it when driving through there.

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Sheriff Fatman
Modern banking - BoS was started by the guy who then went on to start B of England.

 

The Bank of England was started two years before the Bank of Scotland.

 

The founder of the Bank of England was William Paterson from Tinwald in Dumfries and Galloway, the founders of the Bank of Scotland were John Holland, an Englishman and George Watson (founder of George Watson's College), a Scot.

 

The Bank of Scotland was the first bank in Europe to issue banknotes, so Edinburgh can claim that.

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Say What Again
Golf was invented in Edinburgh.

 

With Musselburgh Old Course being officially the oldest course in the world.

 

Oldest still open I think it is.

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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.

You could also add Ronald Spiers to that list. He fought for the USA in WW2. Made famous in the Band of Brothers series.

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dodethejambo
Was he not from Bathgate - I'm sure there was always a sign about it when driving through there.

 

It was in Edinburgh that he made the Anaesthetics, so its ours

:stuart:

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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.

He was a Rangers man then:10900:

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southside1874
With Musselburgh Old Course being officially the oldest course in the world.

 

Oldest still open I think it is.

 

The game of golf was first played on Leith Links. The ooldest golf club in the world is Royal Burgess in Barnton.

 

The penalty kick was a result of a game involving Hearts and East Stirling, though some say Third Lanark and Hearts

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Edinburgh was the birthplace, and place of learning, for possibly the most important Scientist since Isaac Newton - James Clerk Maxwell.

 

Maxwell was responsible for unifying Electromagnetic Theory and, as a genius mathematician, conceived Maxwell's Equations. He was the pre-eminent scientist of the 19th Century and laid the groundwork which would be followed by one Albert Einstein in the fields of Special Relativity and Quantum Physics. Einstein famously had a photograph of Maxwell on his wall alongside pictures of Faraday and Newton.

 

He was voted the 3rd most important scientist of all-time, just behind Newton & Einstein.

 

Not only that, but he also invented Colour Photography, and wrote some quite funny poetry.

 

As you might have gathered, he is my personal hero and undoubtedly the most gifted Scot that ever lived.

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The first purpose built motor factory in Britain, which also made some of the earliest electric powered cariages in the world.

 

The Madelvic car factory is one of the old buildings in Granton down towards or possibly within the area of the old Wire Works, think it`s getting reused as flats or studios in the wterfront developement.

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Modern banking - BoS was started by the guy who then went on to start B of England.

 

BoE 1694, BoS 1695, some confusion somewhere there.

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Guest juvehearts

2 towns.

the old one & the new one.

 

the hogmoany street party

edinburgh castle where the crown jewls are

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heartsglorioushearts
Golf was invented in Edinburgh.

 

 

Was once told Golf stands for Gentlemen only ladies forbidden. Not sure if true.

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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!!

 

Then there's "getting off at Haymarket" ...

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I'm told that James Clerk Maxwell doesn't even get a mention at either the Royal or National Museums of Scotland. Scandalous!

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Felix Lighter
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!!

 

I remeber watching Jeremy Clarksons Great Inventions That Changed The World (at least I think that's what the programme was called).

His version of the story was that Bell and his rival (not the Italian bloke) both presented their patents on the same day to the patent office, although his rival did so first.The guy at the patent office was corrupt and sold the rivals work to Bell.

As for the Italian bloke.Clarkson said that he had a working system set up in his home, which he invented so his bed ridden wife could stay in contact with him wherever he was in the house.This was before Bell and his rival presented their patents.

If you ask me I reckon the Italian bloke thought 'hmm... I've invented a device that,no matter where I am in the house, allows the missus to feckin nag at me...nah that'll never catch on.' :nah:

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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.

 

Your having a laugh surely?

 

 

Anyway, how about Heart of Midlothian?

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Guest Vanbasten1874

Diddy ride and hypodermic syringe stick out like a sore thumb have to be no's 1 and 2 surely .

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Guest Vanbasten1874
I remeber watching Jeremy Clarksons Great Inventions That Changed The World (at least I think that's what the programme was called).

His version of the story was that Bell and his rival (not the Italian bloke) both presented their patents on the same day to the patent office, although his rival did so first.The guy at the patent office was corrupt and sold the rivals work to Bell.

As for the Italian bloke.Clarkson said that he had a working system set up in his home, which he invented so his bed ridden wife could stay in contact with him wherever he was in the house.This was before Bell and his rival presented their patents.

If you ask me I reckon the Italian bloke thought 'hmm... I've invented a device that,no matter where I am in the house, allows the missus to feckin nag at me...nah that'll never catch on.' :nah:

 

The Italian bloke could be Marconi me thinks !

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I P Knightley
Surely then we can claim the invention of Tippex then?

:10900:

 

Naaah, that was Mickey Dolenz's (out of The Monkees) dad. Or Mike Nesmith or the other one that wasn't Davy Jones.

 

*warning* this could be a huge urban myth; just like Bob Holness playing the sax solo on Baker Street

 

The Italian bloke could be Marconi me thinks !

 

Different Italian Bloke. This one's Antonio Meucci. I reckon Marconi died with more than a penny or two to his name.

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The Beatles.

 

John Lennon was inspired by his hols in Edinburgh. :th_o:

 

Absolutely, he was given his first decent mouth organ from a bus conductor from Edinburgh on a SMT bus from Leeverpoool. GBJ.

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Your having a laugh surely?

 

 

Anyway, how about Heart of Midlothian?

 

Why would I be having a laugh?

 

Heart of Midlothian aren't global.

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scots civil war

adam smith ,the father of capitalism......`the wealth of nations` was his book in the early 1800s

 

 

sir douglas haig,commander in chief of the british army for most of the great war 1914-1918....admire him or loath him,he was born charlotte square

 

 

golf is derived from a dutch word and stems from there,however the game as we know it today,format and rules etc definitely is an edinburgh thing....leith links,bruntsfield links,old course musselburgh,muirfield,barnton

 

 

 

edinburgh has(allways been) and is ****poor for a pool of decent bands/musicians imo,weve been looking for a competent/pro level guitarist to punk out for 8 ****ing months.......

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adam smith ,the father of capitalism......`the wealth of nations` was his book in the early 1800s

 

golf is derived from a dutch word and stems from there,however the game as we know it today,format and rules etc definitely is an edinburgh thing....leith links,bruntsfield links,old course musselburgh,muirfield,barnton

 

edinburgh has(allways been) and is ****poor for a pool of decent bands/musicians imo,weve been looking for a competent/pro level guitarist to punk out for 8 ****ing months.......

 

Adam Smith is famously from Kirkcaldy and studied in the weej.

Origins of golf are disputed but Edinburgh can only lay claim to the oldest club; if the game stems from anywhere in Scotland; it's St.Andrews.

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Carl Spackler
Adam Smith is famously from Kirkcaldy and studied in the weej.

Origins of golf are disputed but Edinburgh can only lay claim to the oldest club; if the game stems from anywhere in Scotland; it's St.Andrews.

 

St Andrews? St Andrews is only one on the list of claims for places where people played a game similar to the game of golf now played. Montrose links is older I'm sure there's others.

 

It's accepted the first organised game with written rules was played at Leith Links and then Musselburgh (and Musselburgh is not Edinburgh by the way). The Edinburgh golfers then shifted on to Muirfield. The Burgess society moved to Barnton and the Royal Musselburgh went to the Pans. The early British Opens were at Musselburgh and then started circulating between Musselburgh, Prestwick and St Andrews.

 

Somebody mentioned John Knox above. He was born in Haddington.

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St Andrews? St Andrews is only one on the list of claims for places where people played a game similar to the game of golf now played. Montrose links is older I'm sure there's others.

 

It's accepted the first organised game with written rules was played at Leith Links and then Musselburgh (and Musselburgh is not Edinburgh by the way). The Edinburgh golfers then shifted on to Muirfield. The Burgess society moved to Barnton and the Royal Musselburgh went to the Pans. The early British Opens were at Musselburgh and then started circulating between Musselburgh, Prestwick and St Andrews.

 

Golf was played over Musselburgh Links - the oldest playing course in the world - from 1672 ; however a Royal Charter exists from 1552 granting residents of St.Andrews rights to play golf over their links.

Going back further, golf was banned in Scotland via an act of parliamnet in 1457 therefore there's a fair shout to claim Scotland gave the world golf, but not Edinburgh !?

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Carl Spackler
Golf was played over Musselburgh Links - the oldest playing course in the world - from 1672 ; however a Royal Charter exists from 1552 granting residents of St.Andrews rights to play golf over their links.

Going back further, golf was banned in Scotland via an act of parliamnet in 1457 therefore there's a fair shout to claim Scotland gave the world golf, but not Edinburgh !?

No argument.

 

Golf was clearly being played all over the place. It's not really that hard to understand why though. What sort of competition could you think up in those days? Run with a ball? Hit a ball and have people run after it? Hit a ball as far as you can and aim for a wee hole? The options were limited.

 

Civilisation put rules on it. Edinburgh invented golf.

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