Whoever thought it up deserves a medal. Few catchphrases last a century and still resonate with the public. “Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases” originated in the 1918 influenza pandemic to support a US Public Health Service campaign. It was tagged… Read More ›
The first public statue for a woman in Britain turns up in an unlikely place. Walsall is an industrial town in the Black Country north of Birmingham. I have a lot of affection for it – it’s where I did… Read More ›
Every woman who now undergoes an elective Caesarian section owes a debt to these wee Glasgow wifies. They weren’t the first by any means. But they played a key role in establishing that the operation could be carried out safely… Read More ›
Three examples from the golden age of political caricature featuring Henry Dundas, the first Viscount Melville…. This one satirises the five-strong Commission of Naval Enquiry quizzing Dundas and the Navy paymaster Alexander Trotter (the guys in kilts). The Commission’s dogged… Read More ›
I really don’t understand why Edinburgh continues to blithely trample on the memory of Elsie Inglis. It’s more through ignorance and indifference but the blundering shows no signs of abating. Last month did bring official recognition with the naming of… Read More ›
Number three of the great tapestries to come out of Prestonpans is the one stitched by the Scottish communities across the world. As such, the Diaspora Tapestry offers a very different historical perspective than the previous two – for the… Read More ›
Man walks into jewellers and writes cheque for £100,000. Leaves with nothing and is very happy. This was the unlikely beginning of the Usher Hall in Edinburgh in 1896. The man was whisky distiller Andrew Usher and the jeweller was… Read More ›
