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List of Scottish inventions and discoveries

{{short description|Overview of notable inventions and discoveries from Scotland or Scottish people}}

{{use dmy dates |date=February 2022}}

File:Maxwell'sEquations.svg's discovery of the laws of electrodynamics"|Richard Feynman[https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/II_01.html#Ch1-S6-p4 The Feynman Lectures on Physics Vol. II Ch. 1: Electromagnetism]}}]]

{{Culture of Scotland}}

Scottish inventions and discoveries are objects, processes or techniques either partially or entirely invented, innovated, or discovered by a person born in or descended from Scotland. In some cases, an invention's Scottishness is determined by the fact that it came into existence in Scotland (e.g., animal cloning), by non-Scots working in the country. Often, things that are discovered for the first time are also called "inventions" and in many cases there is no clear line between the two.

Some Scottish contributions have indirectly and directly led to controversial political ideas and policies, such as the measures taken to enforce British hegemony in the time of the British Empire.{{Cite book |last=Chua |first=Amy |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/123079516 |title=Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance–and Why They Fall |publisher=Doubleday |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-385-51284-8 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=206 |oclc=123079516}} Scottish inventions have been noted as "revolutionising" the world numerous times, made possible by the "boundless imagination and inspired creativity" of the inventors who created them.{{cite web |title=Scotland's Inventions {{!}} Scotland.org |url=https://www.scotland.org/about-scotland/culture/scottish-inventions |website=Scotland |access-date=31 December 2024 |language=en}}

Even before the Industrial Revolution, Scots have been at the forefront of innovation and discovery across a wide range of spheres. Some of the most significant products of Scottish ingenuity include James Watt's steam engine, improving on that of Thomas Newcomen,{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/watt_james.shtml|title=BBC - History - James Watt|access-date=2008-12-31}} the bicycle,{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/macmillan_kirkpatrick.shtml|title=BBC - History - Kirkpatrick Macmillan|access-date=2008-12-31}} macadamisation (not to be confused with tarmac or tarmacadam), Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the first practical telephone,{{cite web|url=http://www.nls.uk/scientists/biographies/alexander-graham-bell/index.html|title=Scottish Science Hall of Fame - Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)|access-date=2010-02-20|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011165704/http://digital.nls.uk/scientists/biographies/alexander-graham-bell/index.html|archive-date=2010-10-11}} John Logie Baird's invention of television,{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/baird_logie.shtml|title=BBC - History - John Logie Baird|access-date=2008-12-31}}[http://www.bairdtelevision.com/colour.html The World's First High Definition Colour Television System]. and McLean, p. 196. Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin{{cite web|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1945/fleming-bio.html|title=Nobelprize.org: Sir Alexander Fleming - Biography|access-date=2008-12-31}} and insulin.{{cite web|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1923/macleod-bio.html|title=Nobelprize.org: John Macleod - Biography|access-date=2008-12-31}}

The following is a list of inventions, innovations, or discoveries that are known or generally recognised as being Scottish.

Road transport innovations

  • Macadamised roads (the basis for, but not specifically, tarmac): John Loudon McAdam (1756–1836){{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/353599/John-Loudon-McAdam|title=Encyclopædia Britannica: John Loudon Mcadam (British inventor)|newspaper=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=2010-06-13}}
  • The pedal bicycle: Attributed to both Kirkpatrick Macmillan (1813–1878) and Thomas McCall (1834–1904)
  • The pneumatic tyre: Robert William Thomson and John Boyd Dunlop (1822–1873){{cite web|url=http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/RobertWilliamThomson.htm|title=Robert William Thomson, Scotland's forgotten inventor|access-date=2010-06-13}}
  • The overhead valve engine: David Dunbar Buick (1854–1929){{cite book|title=Billy, Alfred, and General Motors: The Story of Two Unique Men, a Legendary Company, and a Remarkable Time in American History|first=William|last=Pelfrey|publisher=AMACOM|year=2006|isbn=978-0-8144-2961-7}}

Civil engineering innovations

  • Tubular steel: Sir William Fairbairn (1789–1874){{cite web|url=http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst137.html|title=Gazetteer for Scotland: Overview of Sir William Fairbairn|access-date=2010-06-14}}
  • The Falkirk wheel: Initial designs by Nicoll Russell Studios, Architects, RMJM and engineers Binnie, Black, and Veatch (Opened 2002){{cite web|url=http://www.rmjm.com/portfolio/the-falkirk-wheel-and-visitor-centre-scotland/|title=Falkirk Wheel & Visitor Centre|access-date=2015-11-30}}{{cite web|url=http://evolution.skf.com/zino.aspx?articleID=391&lan=en-gb|title=SKF Evolution online|access-date=2010-06-13|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120215825/http://evolution.skf.com/zino.aspx?articleID=391&lan=en-gb|archive-date=2010-11-20}}
  • The patent slip for docking vessels: Thomas Morton (1781–1832){{cite web|url=http://www.clydesite.co.uk/articles/patent.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509063734/http://www.clydesite.co.uk/articles/patent.asp|url-status=usurped|archive-date=2006-05-09|title=Clydesite Magazine: The Real Inventor of the Patent Slip|access-date=2010-06-13}}The Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, Volume 2 Printed for Archibald Constable, 1820
  • The Drummond Light: Thomas Drummond (1797–1840){{cite web|url=http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst134.html|title=The Gazetteer for Scotland: Overview of Thomas Drummond|access-date=2010-06-14}}
  • Canal design: Thomas Telford (1757–1834)The life of Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer: With an introductory history of roads and travelling in Great Britain J. Murray, 1867
  • Dock design improvements: John Rennie (1761–1821)John Rennie 1761–1821 Manchester University Press ND
  • Crane design improvements: James Bremner (1784–1856)The industrial archaeology of Scotland, Volume 2 Macmillan of Canada, 1977 - Social Science
  • "Trac Rail Transposer", a machine to lay rail track patented in 2005, used by Network Rail in the United Kingdom and the New York City Subway in the United States.{{cite news|title=Ayrshire brothers' invention to transform America's railways|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-36459486|access-date=7 June 2016|work=BBC|date=6 June 2016}}{{cite journal|title=Laying lines|journal=Railway Strategies|date=6 January 2014|issue=103|url=http://www.railwaystrategies.co.uk/article-page.php?contentid=19184&issueid=539|access-date=7 June 2016}}{{cite web|title=US Patent Application No: 2008/0072,783 - Railway Rail Handling Apparatus and Method|url=http://www.patentbuddy.com/Patent/20080072783|website=PatentBuddy|access-date=7 June 2016}}

Aviation innovations

  • Aircraft design: Frank Barnwell (1910) Establishing the fundamentals of aircraft design at the University of Glasgow.{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldchanging.glasgow.ac.uk/article/?id=4|title=University of Glasgow :: World Changing:: Establishing fundamental principles in aircraft design|website=www.worldchanging.glasgow.ac.uk|access-date=2018-11-14}}

Power innovations

  • Condensing steam engine improvements: James Watt (1736–1819)
  • Thermodynamic cycle: William John Macquorn Rankine (1820–1872){{cite web|url=http://www.iesis.org/presidents.html|title=William John Macquorn Rankine|access-date=2014-01-13}}
  • Coal-gas lighting: William Murdoch (1754–1839){{cite web|url=http://www.williammurdoch.com/|title=William Murdoch - The Scot Who Lit The World|access-date=2010-06-14}}
  • The Stirling heat engine: Rev. Robert Stirling (1790–1878){{cite web|url=http://www.electricscotland.com/history/men/stirling_robert.htm|title=Electric Scotland: Significant Scots - Robert Stirling|access-date=2010-06-14}}
  • Carbon brushes for dynamos: George Forbes (1849–1936){{cite web|url=http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst1517.html|title=The Gazetteer for Scotland: Overview of Prof. George Forbes|access-date=2010-06-14}}
  • The Clerk cycle gas engine: Sir Dugald Clerk (1854–1932){{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/121330/Sir-Dugald-Clerk|title=Encyclopædia Britannica: Sir Dugald Clerk|access-date=2010-06-14}}
  • The wave-powered electricity generator: by South African Engineer Stephen Salter in 1977{{cite web|url=http://science.howstuffworks.com/salters-duck.htm|title=How Stuff Works: Could Salter's Duck have solved the oil crisis?| date=14 July 2008 |access-date=2010-06-14}}
  • The Pelamis Wave Energy Converter ("red sea snake" wave energy device): Richard Yemm, 1998{{cite web|url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2012/03/SaltirePrizeMedalYemm280032012|title=Pelamis founder honoured for key role in marine energy|date=28 March 2012|publisher=The Scottish Government|access-date=2012-03-29}}

Shipbuilding innovations

  • Europe's first passenger steamboat: Henry Bell (1767–1830){{cite web|url=http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/bell_henry.htm|title=Significant Scots: Henry Bell|access-date=2010-06-15}}
  • The first iron–hulled steamship: Sir William Fairbairn (1789–1874){{cite web|url=http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst137.html|title=The Gazetteer for Scotland: Overview of Sir William Fairbairn|access-date=2010-06-16}}
  • The first practical screw propeller: Robert Wilson (1803–1882){{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}
  • Marine engine innovations: James Howden (1832–1913)The Dynamics of Victorian Business: Problems And Perspectives to the 1870s By Roy Church
  • John Elder and Charles Randolph (Marine Compound expansion engine)

Military innovations

  • Lieutenant-General Sir David Henderson two areas:
  • Field intelligence. Argued for the establishment of the Intelligence Corps. Wrote Field Intelligence: Its Principles and Practice (1904) and The Art of Reconnaissance (1907) on the tactical intelligence of modern warfare.{{cite web |url=http://www.worldchanging.glasgow.ac.uk/article/?id=59 |publisher=University of Glasgow |website=World Changing |title=Establishing the Royal Air Force}}
  • Intelligence: Allan Pinkerton developed the still relevant intelligence techniques of "shadowing" (surveillance) and "assuming a role" (undercover work) in his time as head of the Union Intelligence Service.

Heavy industry innovations

  • Coal mining extraction in the sea on an artificial island by Sir George Bruce of Carnock (1575). Regarded as one of the industrial wonders of the late medieval period.The Edinburgh History of Scottish Literature: From Columba to the Union (Until 10707). By Ian Brown
  • Making cast steel from wrought iron: David Mushet (1772–1847){{cite web |title=Significant Scots - David Mushet |url=http://www.electricscotland.com/history/men/mushet_david.htm |access-date=2010-06-17 |website=Electric Scotland}}
  • Wrought iron sash bars for glass houses: John C. Loudon (1783–1865)Houses of glass: a nineteenth-century building type By Georg Kohlmaier, Barna von Sartory, John C. Harvey
  • The hot blast oven: James Beaumont Neilson (1792–1865)Dictionary of energy By Cutler J. Cleveland, Chris Morris
  • The steam hammer: James Nasmyth (1808–1890)Materials processing defects By Swadhin Kumar Ghosh, M. Predeleanu
  • Wire rope: Robert Stirling Newall (1812–1889)Iron: An illustrated weekly journal for iron and steel .., Volume 63 by Sholto Percy
  • Steam engine improvements: William Mcnaught (1831–1881)Repertory of patent inventions and other discoveries and improvements in arts, manufactures and agriculture MacIntosh 1846
  • The Fairlie, a narrow gauge, double-bogie railway engine: Robert Francis Fairlie (1831–1885)American narrow gauge railroads By George Woodman Hilton
  • Cordite - Sir James Dewar, Sir Frederick Abel (1889)Nature: international journal of science 1917 MacMillan

Agricultural innovations

  • Threshing machine improvements: James Meikle (c.1690-c.1780) & Andrew Meikle (1719–1811)Annual report of the Indiana State Board of Agriculture, Volume 2 By Indiana. State Board of Agriculture, Indiana. Geological Survey
  • Hollow pipe drainage: Sir Hew Dalrymple, Lord Drummore (1700–1753)Great Scots By Betty Kirkpatrick
  • The Scotch plough: James Anderson of Hermiston (1739–1808)The English cyclopædia: a new dictionary of universal knowledge, Volume 1 edited by Charles Knight
  • Deanstonisation soil-drainage system: James Smith (1789–1850)The new American cyclopaedia: a popular dictionary of general knowledge
  • The mechanical reaping machine: Rev. Patrick Bell (1799–1869)Journal of the Society of Arts, Volume 6 By Society of Arts (Great Britain)
  • The Fresno scraper: James Porteous (1848–1922){{cite web|url=http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5550.pdf|title=The Fresno Scraper - American Society of Mechanical Engineers|access-date=2010-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209065640/http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5550.pdf|archive-date=2011-02-09|url-status=dead}}
  • The Tuley tree shelter: Graham Tuley in 1979The complete guide to trees of Britain and Northern Europe Alan F. Mitchell, David More

Communication innovations

  • Telephone: Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)
  • Print stereotyping: William Ged (1690–1749){{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/227656/William-Ged|title=William Ged (Scottish goldsmith)|access-date=2010-06-13}}
  • Roller printing: Thomas Bell (patented 1783){{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/507124/roller-printing|title=roller printing (textile industry)|access-date=2010-06-13}}
  • The adhesive postage stamp and the postmark: claimed by James Chalmers (1782–1853){{cite web|url=http://www.scotstamps.co.uk/arbroath.htm|title=Arbroath & District Stamp & Postcard Club|access-date=2010-06-19|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806014915/http://www.scotstamps.co.uk/arbroath.htm|archive-date=2010-08-06}}
  • The Waverley pen nib innovations thereof: Duncan Cameron (1825–1901) The popular "Waverley" was unique in design with a narrow waist and an upturned tip designed to make the ink flow more smoothly on the paper.{{Cite web|url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/MacNiven_and_Cameron|title=MacNiven and Cameron|website=www.gracesguide.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-11-14}}
  • Universal Standard Time: Sir Sandford Fleming (1827–1915)Communication and empire: media, markets, and globalization, 1860–1930 by Dwayne Roy Winseck, Robert M. Pike
  • Light signalling between ships: Admiral Philip H. Colomb (1831–1899)Military communications: from ancient times to the 21st century By Christopher H. Sterling
  • The underlying principles of radio: James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879)Radiolocation in Ubiquitous Wireless Communication by Danko Antolovic
  • The Kinetoscope, a motion picture camera: devised in 1889 by William Kennedy Dickson (1860-1935)[http://living.scotsman.com/features/Adventures-in-motion-pictures.2312382.jp "it was his Scottish protégé, William Dickson, who... "], The Scotsman, 23 March 2002
  • The teleprinter: Frederick G. Creed (1871–1957)The worldwide history of telecommunications by Anton A. Huurdeman
  • The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC): John Reith, 1st Baron Reith (1922) its founder, first general manager and director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/research/john-reith|title=John Reith|website=History of the BBC|access-date=18 July 2019}}
  • RADAR: A significant contribution made by Robert Watson-Watt (1892–1973) alongside Englishman Henry Tizard (1885-1959) and others{{cite web|url=http://www.radarpages.co.uk/people/watson-watt/watson-watt.htm|title=Radar Personalities: Sir Robert Watson-Watt|access-date=2008-12-31}}
  • The automated teller machine and Personal Identification Number system: James Goodfellow (born 1937){{cite web|url=http://www.atmmachine.com/goodfellow_atminventor.html|title=Who Invented the ATM? The James Goodfellow Story|access-date=2011-08-26|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728013121/http://www.atmmachine.com/goodfellow_atminventor.html|archive-date=2011-07-28}}

Publishing firsts

  • The first edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (1768–81)Encyclopaedic visions: scientific dictionaries and enlightenment culture By Natasha J. Yeo
  • The first English textbook on surgery (1597)The Early history of surgery William John Bishop - 1995
  • The first modern pharmacopaedia, William Cullen (1776). The book became 'Europe's principal text on the classification and treatment of disease'. His ideas survive in the terms nervous energy and neuroses (a word that Cullen coined).[http://www.hsl.virginia.edu/historical/rare_books/classics/#Cullen Twenty Medical Classics of the Jefferson Era]
  • The first postcards and picture postcards in the UKPicture Postcards By C W Hill
  • The educational foundation of Ophthalmology: Stewart Duke-Elder in his ground breaking work including ‘Textbook of Ophthalmology and fifteen volumes of System of Ophthalmology’{{cite journal | last1 = Lyle | first1 = T. K. | last2 = Miller | first2 = S. | last3 = Ashton | first3 = N. H. | year = 1980 | title = William Stewart Duke-Elder. 22 April 1898-27 March 1978 | journal = Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society | volume = 26 | page = 85 | doi = 10.1098/rsbm.1980.0003 | doi-access = }}

Culture and the arts

Scientific innovations

  • Logarithms: John Napier (1550–1617)Ernest William Hobson. John Napier and the invention of logarithms, 1614. The University Press, 1914.
  • Modern Economics founded by Adam Smith (1776) 'The father of modern economics'{{cite journal | last1 = Davis | first1 = William L | last2 = Figgins | first2 = Bob | last3 = Hedengren | first3 = David | last4 = Klein | first4 = Daniel B. | title = Economic Professors' Favorite Economic Thinkers, Journals, and Blogs | url = http://econjwatch.org/articles/economics-professors-favorite-economic-thinkers-journals-and-blogs-along-with-party-and-policy-views | journal = Econ Journal Watch | volume = 8 | issue = 2| pages = 126–146 }} with the publication of The Wealth of Nations.M Skousen (2007). The Big Three in Economics: Adam Smith, Karl Marx, And John Maynard Keynes p3,5,6.E. K. Hunt (2002). History of Economic Thought: A Critical Perspective, p.3. {{ISBN|0-7656-0606-2}}
  • Modern Sociology: Adam Ferguson (1767) ‘The Father of Modern Sociology’ with his work An Essay on the History of Civil SocietyWillcox, William Bradford; Arnstein, Walter L. (1966). The Age of Aristocracy, 1688 to 1830. Volume III of A History of England, edited by Lacey Baldwin Smith (Sixth Edition, 1992 ed.). Lexington, Massachusetts. p. 133. {{ISBN|0-669-24459-7}}.
  • Hypnotism: James Braid (1795–1860) the Father of HypnotherapyThe Discovery of Hypnosis- The Complete Writings of James Braid, the Father of Hypnotherapy James Braid, Donald Robertson (ed.) 2009
  • Tropical medicine: Sir Patrick Manson known as the father of Tropical MedicineManson-Bahr, Patrick (1962). Patrick Manson. The Father of Tropical Medicine. Thomas Nelson
  • Modern geology: James Hutton ‘The Founder of Modern Geology’James Hutton ‘The Founder of Modern Geology’ D. B. McIntyre, Alan McKirdy 2001, National Museums of Scotland Pub. Ltd. p45{{cite web |url=http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/essaybooks/earth/p_hutton.html |title=James Hutton: The Founder of Modern Geology |author=American Museum of Natural History |author-link=American Museum of Natural History |work=Earth: Inside and Out |year=2000 |quote=The result, therefore, of this physical enquiry," Hutton concluded, "is that we find no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225940/http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/essaybooks/earth/p_hutton.html |archive-date=2016-03-03 }}Kenneth L. Taylor (September 2006). "Ages in Chaos: James Hutton and the Discovery of Deep Time". The Historian (abstract) (Book review of Stephen Baxter, {{ISBN|0-7653-1238-7}}).
  • The theory of Uniformitarianism: James Hutton (1788): a fundamental principle of Geology the features of the geologic time takes millions of years.Historical Geology, 7th ed.: Evolution of Earth and Life Through Time. By Reed Wicander, James Stewart Monroe 2012 Cengage Learning, p67
  • The theory of electromagnetism: James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879){{Cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/370621/James-Clerk-Maxwell|title=James Clerk Maxwell {{!}} Biography & Facts|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2018-11-14|language=en}}
  • The discovery of the Composition of Saturn's Rings James Clerk Maxwell (1859): determined the rings of Saturn were composed of numerous small particles, all independently orbiting the planet. At the time it was generally thought the rings were solid. The Maxwell Ringlet and Maxwell Gap were named in his honor.{{Cite web|url=http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/Extras/Maxwell_Saturn.html|title=James Clerk Maxwell on the nature of Saturn's rings|website=www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk|access-date=2018-11-14}}
  • The Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution by James Clerk Maxwell (1860): the basis of the kinetic theory of gases, that speeds of molecules in a gas will change at different temperatures. The original theory first hypothesised by Maxwell and confirmed later in conjunction with Ludwig Boltzmann.Maxwell, J.C. (1860) Illustrations of the dynamical theory of gases. Philosophical Magazine 19, 19-32 and Philosophical Magazine 20, 21-37.
  • Popularising the decimal point: John Napier (1550–1617)Memoirs of John Napier of Merchiston: his lineage, life, and times by Mark Napier
  • The first theory of the Higgs boson by English born {{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-22073080|title=Behind the scenes at the Universe|last=Macdonald|first=Kenneth|date=2013-04-10|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-11-14|language=en-GB}} Peter Higgs particle-physics theorist at the University of Edinburgh (1964){{Cite web|url=https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/higgs|title=Peter Higgs and the Higgs Boson|website=School of Physics and Astronomy|date=12 March 2017 }}
  • The Gregorian telescope: James Gregory (1638–1675)Popular Astronomy By Simon Newcomb
  • The discovery of Proxima Centauri, the closest known star to the Sun, by Robert Innes (1861–1933){{cite journal | bibcode = 1933AN....249...51D | title=Anzeige des Todes von Robert Thorburn Ayton Innes | journal=Astronomische Nachrichten | volume=249 | pages=51–52 | year=1933 | author=Davidson, M. | doi=10.1002/asna.19332490203 | issue=2–3}}
  • One of the earliest measurements of distance to the Alpha Centauri star system, the closest such system outside of the Solar System, by Thomas Henderson (1798–1844){{Cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/261187/Thomas-Henderson|title=Thomas Henderson {{!}} Scottish astronomer|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2018-11-14|language=en}}
  • The discovery of Centaurus A, a well-known starburst galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus, by James Dunlop (1793–1848){{Cite web |url=http://www.mpe.mpg.de/~hcs/Cen-A/cen-a-history.html |title=MPE : Centaurus A (NGC 5128) - History |access-date=2013-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101085746/http://www.mpe.mpg.de/~hcs/Cen-A/cen-a-history.html |archive-date=2013-01-01 |url-status=dead }}
  • The discovery of the Horsehead Nebula in the constellation of Orion, by Williamina Fleming (1857–1911){{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/womenofsciencer000kass|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/womenofsciencer000kass/page/92 92]|title=Women of Science: Righting the Record|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0253208132|last1=Kass-Simon|first1=Gabriele|last2=Farnes|first2=Patricia|last3=Nash|first3=Deborah|year=1993}}
  • The world's first oil refinery and a process of extracting paraffin from coal laying the foundations for the modern oil industry: James Young (1811–1883){{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15648088 | work=BBC News | title=Founder of the modern oil industry to be honoured | date=2011-11-08}}
  • The identification of the minerals yttrialite, thorogummite, aguilarite and nivenite: by William Niven (1889)Wicks, Robert S. and Harrison, Roland H. (1999). Buried Cities, Forgotten Gods: William Niven's Life of Discovery and Revolution in Mexico and the American Southwest, Texas Tech University Press. {{ISBN|0-89672-414-X}}
  • The concept of latent heat by French-born Joseph Black (1728–1799)Logic, language, information and computation: 15th international workshop, WoLLIC 2008, Edinburgh, UK, July 1–4, 2008
  • Discovering the properties of Carbon dioxide by French-born Joseph Black (1728–1799)
  • The concept of Heat capacity by French-born Joseph Black (1728–1799)
  • The pyroscope, atmometer and aethrioscope scientific instruments: Sir John Leslie (1766–1832)Chambers's encyclopaedia: a dictionary of universal knowledge for the people Appleton 1864
  • Identifying the nucleus in living cells: Robert Brown (1773–1858)Biology: Concepts and Applications Without Physiology By Cecie Starr, Christine A. Evers, Lisa Starr
  • An early form of the Incandescent light bulb: James Bowman Lindsay (1799-1862)Challoner, Jack et al. "1001 Inventions That Changed The World" Barrons Educational Series, Hauppauge NY, 2009.
  • Colloid chemistry: Thomas Graham (1805–1869)Colloid chemistry Robert James Hartman, Herman Thompson Briscoe Houghton Mifflin Co., 1947
  • The kelvin SI unit of temperature by Irishman William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824–1907)Chemistry and chemical reactivity, Volume 2 By John C. Kotz, Paul Treichel, John Raymond Townsend
  • Devising the diagramatic system of representing chemical bonds: Alexander Crum Brown (1838–1922)Scottish pride: 101 reasons to be proud of your Scottish heritage Heather Duncan
  • Criminal fingerprinting: Henry Faulds (1843–1930)Criminalistics: Forensic Science and Crime By James Girard
  • The noble gases: Sir William Ramsay (1852–1916)Noble Gases By Jens Thomas
  • The cloud chamber recording of atoms: Charles Thomson Rees Wilson (1869–1959){{cite web|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1927/wilson-bio.html|title=Nobelprize.org: C.T.R. Wilson Biography|access-date=2010-06-15}}The world of the atom

Henry Abraham Boorse, Lloyd Motz Basic Books, inc., 1966

  • The discovery of the Wave of Translation, leading to the modern general theory of solitons by John Scott Russell (1808-1882){{Cite web|title=John Scott Russell and the solitary wave|url=https://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~chris/scott_russell.html|access-date=2021-07-13|website=www.macs.hw.ac.uk}}
  • Statistical graphics: William Playfair founder of the first statistical line charts, bar charts, and pie charts in (1786) and (1801) known as a scientific ‘milestone’ in statistical graphs and data visualization{{cite journal | last1 = Spence | first1 = Ian | year = 2005 | title = No Humble Pie: The Origins and Usage of a statistical Chart | url = http://www.psych.utoronto.ca/~spence/Spence%202005.pdf | journal = Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics | volume = 30 | issue = 4| pages = 353–368 | doi = 10.3102/10769986030004353 | s2cid = 21972539 }}Michael Friendly (2008). "Milestones in the history of thematic cartography, statistical graphics, and data visualization". pp 13-14. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
  • The Arithmetic mean density of the Earth: Nevil Maskelyne conducted the Schiehallion experiment conducted at the Scottish mountain of Schiehallion, Perthshire 1774Maskelyne, N. (1772). "A proposal for measuring the attraction of some hill in this Kingdom". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 65: 495–499. {{Bibcode|1775RSPT...65..495M}}
  • The first isolation of methylated sugars, trimethyl and tetramethyl glucose: James Irvine{{cite journal | last1 = Hirst | first1 = E. L. | year = 1953 | title = James Colquhoun Irvine, 1877-1952 | journal = Advances in Carbohydrate Chemistry | volume = 8| pages = xi–xvii| doi = 10.1016/S0096-5332(08)60096-X | pmid = 13138381 | isbn = 9780120072088 }}{{cite journal | last1 = Read | first1 = J | year = 1952 | title = Sir James Irvine, K.B.E., F.R.S | journal = Nature | volume = 170 | issue = 4314| pages = 13–14 | doi = 10.1038/170013a0 | pmid = 14957005 | bibcode = 1952Natur.170...13R | doi-access = free }}
  • Discovery of the Japp–Klingemann reaction: to synthesize hydrazones from β-keto-acids (or β-keto-esters) and aryl diazonium salts 1887{{cite journal | last1 = Robert Japp | first1 = Francis | last2 = Klingemann | first2 = Felix | year = 1887 | title = Ueber Benzolazo- und Benzolhydrazofettsäuren | url = https://zenodo.org/record/1425485| journal = Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft | volume = 20 | issue = 2| pages = 2942–2944 | doi = 10.1002/cber.188702002165 }}
  • Pioneering work on nutrition and poverty: John Boyd Orr (1880–1971){{Cite web|url=http://cache.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/76466/John-Boyd-Orr-Baron-Boyd-Orr-of-Brechin-Mearns|archiveurl=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110914041530/http://cache.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/76466/John-Boyd-Orr-Baron-Boyd-Orr-of-Brechin-Mearns|url-status=dead|title=Encyclopædia Britannica: Lord Boyd Orr|archivedate=September 14, 2011}}
  • Ferrocene synthetic substances: Peter Ludwig Pauson in 1955Journal of the Chemical Society

Chemical Society (Great Britain), Bureau of Chemical Abstracts (Great Britain) The Society, 1920

  • The first cloned mammal (Dolly the Sheep): Was conducted in The Roslin Institute research centre in 1996 by English scientists Ian Wilmut (born 1944) and Keith Campbell (1954–2012).From Sea Urchins to Dolly the Sheep: Discovering Cloning Sally Morgan Heinemann/Raintree, 2007
  • The seismometer innovations thereof: James David ForbesTransactions of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts Royal Scottish Society of Arts Neill & Co., 1883
  • Metaflex fabric innovations thereof: University of St. Andrews (2010) application of the first manufacturing fabrics that manipulate light in bending it around a subject. Before this such light manipulating atoms were fixed on flat hard surfaces. The team at St Andrews are the first to develop the concept to fabric.{{Cite web|url=http://news.stv.tv/internet-technology/206620-scientists-reveal-material-for-invisibility-cloak/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110015012/http://news.stv.tv/internet-technology/206620-scientists-reveal-material-for-invisibility-cloak/|url-status=dead|title=Scientists reveal material for 'invisibility cloak' | Scotland | News | STV|archivedate=November 10, 2010}}
  • Tractor beam innovations thereof: St. Andrews University (2013) the world's first to succeed in creating a functioning Tractor beam that pulls objects on a microscopic level{{cite news | title=Star-Trek style tractor beam created by scientists | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-21187598 | date = 25 January 2013}}{{Cite journal|last1=Brzobohatý|first1=O.|last2=Karásek|first2=V.|last3=Šiler|first3=M.|last4=Chvátal|first4=L.|last5=Čižmár|first5=T.|last6=Zemánek|first6=P.|date=2013-01-20|title=Experimental demonstration of optical transport, sorting and self-arrangement using a 'tractor beam'|journal=Nature Photonics|language=En|volume=7|issue=2|pages=123–127|doi=10.1038/nphoton.2012.332|bibcode=2013NaPho...7..123B|issn=1749-4885}}
  • Macaulayite: Dr. Jeff Wilson of the Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen.A Handbook of determinative methods in clay mineralogy Michael Jeffrey Wilson, Michael John Wilson Blackie, 1987
  • Discovery of Catacol whitebeam by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (1990s): a rare tree endemic and unique to the Isle of Arran in south west Scotland. The trees were confirmed as a distinct species by DNA testing.{{Cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/sci-tech/trees-on-arran-are-a-whole-new-species-1-904428|title=Trees on Arran 'are a whole new species'|access-date=2018-11-14|language=en}}

The first positive displacement liquid flowmeter, the reciprocating piston meter by Thomas Kennedy Snr.{{Cite web|url=http://www.glenfield.co.uk/history/|title=Glenfield Valves Limited|website=www.glenfield.co.uk|access-date=2018-11-14}}

Sports innovations

{{Main|Sport in Scotland}}

Scots have been instrumental in the invention and early development of several sports:

  • Australian rules football Scots were prominent with many innovations in the early evolution of the game, including the establishment of the Essendon Football Club by the McCracken family from Ayrshire{{Cite web|url=http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/origins-australian-rules-football.htm|title=Australian Rules Football. History And Origins.|website=www.collegesportsscholarships.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-11-14}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-index.php?page=Theophilis+S.+Marshall|title=Blueseum - History of the Carlton Football Club {{!}} Theophilis S. Marshall|website=Blueseum - History of the Carlton Football Club|language=en|access-date=2018-11-14}}{{Cite web|title=In Search of the Blue and White - Heritage Guide to The Geelong College|url=https://gnet.geelongcollege.vic.edu.au/wiki/IN-SEARCH-of-the-BLUE-and-WHITE.ashx|access-date=2021-07-13|website=gnet.geelongcollege.vic.edu.au}}
  • Several modern athletics events, i.e. shot putEncyclopedia of sports science John Zumerchik Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1997 and the hammer throw, derive from Highland Games and earlier 12th century Scotland
  • CurlingCurling: the ancient Scottish game, James Taylor, W. Paterson, 1887 - Sports & Recreation
  • Gaelic handball The modern game of handball is first recorded in Scotland in 1427, when King James I, an ardent handball player, had his men block up a cellar window in his palace courtyard that was interfering with his game.Sports and games of the 18th and 19th centuries Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003 p84
  • Cycling, invention of the pedal-cycleThe Wheelmen Wheelmen (Organization) 2000
  • Golf (see Golf in Scotland)
  • Ice Hockey, invented by the Scots regiments in Atlantic Canada by playing Shinty on frozen lakes.
  • Shinty The history of Shinty as a non-standardised sport pre-dates Scotland the Nation. The rules were standardised in the 19th century by Archibald ChisholmSport in the making of Celtic cultures By Grant Jarvie
  • Rugby sevens: Ned Haig and David Sanderson (1883){{cite web|url=http://www.sevensrugby.co.za/history.htm|title=The Origins of Sevens Rugby|access-date=2010-11-12}}
  • The Dugout was invented by Aberdeen FC Coach Donald Colman in the 1920s
  • The world's first Robot Olympics which took place in Glasgow in 1990.

Medical innovations

  • Pioneering the use of surgical anaesthesia with Chloroform: Firstly in 1842 by Robert Mortimer Glover then extended for use on humans by Sir James Young Simpson (1811–1870)Drug discovery: a history By Walter Sneader Initial use of chloroform in dentistry by Francis Brodie Imlach
  • The Saline drip by Dr Thomas Latta of Leith in 1831/32
  • The hypodermic syringe: Alexander Wood (1817–1884)Karch's pathology of drug abuse By Steven B. Karch
  • First diagnostic applications of an ultrasound scanner: Ian Donald (1910–1987)Ian Donald's Practical Obstetric Problem, 6/e By Renu Misra
  • Independent discovery of inoculation for smallpox: Johnnie Notions ({{Circa|1730|1803}}){{Cite journal|last=Smith|first=Brian|date=July 1998|title=Camphor, Cabbage Leaves and Vaccination: the Career of Johnie 'Notions' Williamson of Hamnavoe, Eshaness, Shetland|url=https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/sites/default/files/vol28_3.1_10.pdf|journal=Proceedings of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh|publisher=Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh|volume=28|issue=3|pages=395–406|doi=10.1177/147827159802800312 |pmid=11620446|s2cid=734446 |access-date=14 January 2021|via=}}
  • Discovery of hypnotism (November 1841): James Braid (1795–1860){{Cite news|url=https://www.scottish-at-heart.com/scottish-inventions.html|title=Scottish Inventions & The Inventors Behind Them|access-date=2018-11-20}}
  • General anaesthetic: Pioneered by Scotsman James Young Simpson and Englishman John Snow{{cite web|title=John Snow (1813 - 1858)|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/snow_john.shtml|access-date=2010-12-06|publisher=BBC}}
  • Identifying the mosquito as the carrier of malaria: Sir Ronald Ross (1857–1932)Assam Branch, Indian Tea Association, 1889-1989: centenary souvenir
  • Identifying the cause of brucellosis: Sir David Bruce (1855–1931)Madkour's Brucellosis M. Monir Madkour - 2001
  • Discovering the vaccine for typhoid fever: Sir William B. Leishman (1865–1926)Recruit Medicine edited by Bernard DeKoning
  • Electrocardiography: Alexander Muirhead (1869)Clinical Examination In Cardiology By Rao{{Cite web|title=Alexander Muirhead|url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Alexander_Muirhead|access-date=2018-11-20|website=www.gracesguide.co.uk|language=en}}
  • Discovery of Staphylococcus: Sir Alexander Ogston (1880){{Cite journal|last=Newsom|first=S. W. B.|date=2008-12-01|title=Ogston's coccus|url=https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(08)00396-4/abstract|journal=Journal of Hospital Infection|language=en|volume=70|issue=4|pages=369–372|doi=10.1016/j.jhin.2008.10.001|issn=0195-6701|pmid=18952323|url-access=subscription}}
  • Discovering insulin: John Macleod (1876–1935) with others The discovery led him to be awarded the 1923 Nobel prize in Medicine.{{cite web| url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1923/ |title=The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1923 |publisher=Nobel Foundation |access-date=2011-03-11}}
  • Penicillin: Sir Alexander Fleming (1881–1955)
  • Pioneering of X-ray cinematography: John Macintyre (1896); the first moving real time X-ray image and the first KUB X-ray diagnostic image of a kidney stone in situH. G. Wells, Modernity and the Movies by Keith Williams p17 introduction Liverpool University Press, 2007The Sorcerer's Apprentice : How Medical Imaging Is Changing Health Care by Bruce Hillman ACRIN Chair and Principal Investigator, Inc. Jeff Goldsmith President of Health Futures Oxford University Press, 2010 p25
  • Establishment of standardized Ophthalmology: Sir Stewart Duke-Elder, a pioneering Ophthalmologist in the 1930-50s
  • The first hospital Radiation therapy unit: John Macintyre (1902); to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and illness at Glasgow Royal Infirmary{{Cite web|url=http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH3015&type=P|title=University of Glasgow :: Story :: Biography of John Macintyre|website=www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk|access-date=2018-11-20}}
  • The Haldane effect, a property of hemoglobin: First described by John Scott Haldane (1907){{cite journal | last1 = Boycott | first1 = A. E. | last2 = Damant | first2 = G. C. C. | last3 = Haldane | first3 = J. S. | year = 1908 | title = Prevention of compressed air illness | journal = J. Hygiene | volume = 8 | issue = 3| pages = 342–443 | doi = 10.1017/S0022172400003399 | pmid = 20474365 | pmc = 2167126 }}
  • The first Decompression tables: John Scott Haldane (1908); to calculate the safe return of deep-sea divers to surface atmospheric pressureHellemans, Alexander; Bunch, Bryan (1988). The Timetables of Science. Simon & Schuster. p. 411. {{ISBN|0-671-62130-0}}.
  • Oxygen therapy: John Scott Haldane (1922), with the publication of ‘The Therapeutic Administration of Oxygen Therapy’, beginning the modern era of Oxygen therapyThe History of Respiratory Therapy: Discovery and Evolution by Dennis W. Glover p37 {{ISBN|1-4490-1491-7}}, {{ISBN|978-1-4490-1491-9}}
  • Transplant rejection: Professor Thomas Gibson (1940s) the first medical doctor to understand the relationship between donor graft tissue and host tissue rejection and tissue transplantation by his work on aviation burns victims during World War II{{Cite web|title=University of Glasgow :: World Changing:: Developing our understanding of tissue transplantation|url=http://www.worldchanging.glasgow.ac.uk/article/?id=53|access-date=2018-11-20|website=www.worldchanging.glasgow.ac.uk}}
  • Discovering an effective tuberculosis treatment: Sir John Crofton in the 1950sCrofton and Douglas's respiratory diseases, Volume 1 By Anthony Seaton, Douglas Seaton, Andrew Gordon Leitch, Sir John Crofton
  • Developing the first beta-blocker drugs: Sir James W. Black in 1964;Milestones in health and medicine Anne S. Harding Oryx Press, 2000 - Medical revolutionized the medical management of angina{{cite journal |author=van der Vring JA |title=Combination of calcium channel blockers and beta blockers for patients with exercise-induced angina pectoris: a double-blind parallel-group comparison of different classes of calcium channel blockers. The Netherlands Working Group on Cardiovascular Research (WCN) |journal=Angiology |volume=50 |issue=6 |pages=447–454 |date=June 1999 |pmid=10378820 |doi=10.1177/000331979905000602 |s2cid=21885509 }} and is considered to be one of the most important contributions to clinical medicine and pharmacology of the 20th century.{{cite journal |author=Stapleton MP |title=Sir James Black and propranolol. The role of the basic sciences in the history of cardiovascular pharmacology |journal=Texas Heart Institute Journal |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=336–42 |year=1997 |pmid=9456487 |pmc=325477}} In 1988 Black was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
  • Developing modern asthma therapy based both on bronchodilation (salbutamol) and anti-inflammatory steroids (beclomethasone dipropionate): Sir David Jack (1972)
  • Chainsaw invented by surgeons John Aitken and James Jeffray for widening the birth canal during difficult childbirth{{cite journal|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15209147/|title=The chain saw--a Scottish invention - PubMed| year=2004 | pmid=15209147 |access-date=2022-04-03| last1=Skippen | first1=M. | last2=Kirkup | first2=J. | last3=Maxton | first3=R. M. | last4=McDonald | first4=S. W. | journal=Scottish Medical Journal | volume=49 | issue=2 | pages=72–75 | doi=10.1177/003693300404900218 | s2cid=19878683 }}
  • Glasgow coma scale: Graham Teasdale and Bryan J. Jennett (1974){{cite web|url=http://www.coma.ulg.ac.be/images/gcs_comments.pdf|title=Glasgow Coma Scale - Coma Science Group|access-date=2010-11-12}}
  • Glasgow Outcome Scale: Bryan J. Jennett & Sir Michael Bond (1975): diagnostic tool for patients with brain injuries, such as cerebral traumas{{Cite web|title=The Glasgow Outcome Scale — 40 years of application and refinement|url=http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/121690/1/121690.pdf|website=University of Glasgow}}
  • Discovering and developing the anesthetic drug Propofol: Dr. John B. Glen (1977); a globally-used surgical anesthetic common in general surgery cases. In 2018 Dr. Glen received a Lasker Award.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/health/lasker-awards-genetics-anesthesia-women.html|title=Lasker Awards Given for Work in Genetics, Anesthesia and Promoting Women in Science|work=The New York Times |date=11 September 2018 |access-date=2018-11-20|language=en |last1=Thomas |first1=Katie }}
  • Glasgow Anxiety Scale: J.Mindham and C.A Espie (2003){{cite journal |pmid=12558692 | volume=47 | issue=Pt 1 | title=Glasgow Anxiety Scale for people with an Intellectual Disability (GAS-ID): development and psychometric properties of a new measure for use with people with mild intellectual disability | year=2003 | journal=J Intellect Disabil Res | pages=22–30 | vauthors=Mindham J, Espie CA | doi=10.1046/j.1365-2788.2003.00457.x| doi-access=free }}
  • Glasgow Depression Scale: Fiona Cuthill (2003); the first accurate self-report scale to measure the levels of depression in people with learning disabilities{{Cite journal|title=Development and psychometric properties of the Glasgow Depression Scale for people with a Learning Disability: Individual and carer supplement versions|first1=Fiona M.|last1=Cuthill|first2=Colin A.|last2=Espie|first3=Sally-Anne|last3=Cooper|date=April 13, 2003|journal=The British Journal of Psychiatry|volume=182|issue=4|pages=347–353|doi=10.1192/bjp.182.4.347| pmid=12668412 |doi-access=free}}
  • Discovering the Human papillomavirus vaccine: Ian Frazer (2006); the second cancer preventing vaccine, and the world's first vaccine designed to prevent a cancer{{Cite web|date=2017-03-24|title=Professor Ian Frazer recalls 'lucky' discovery of cervical cancer vaccine|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-25/ian-frazer-recalls-lucky-discovery-of-cervical-cancer-vaccine/8385872|access-date=2021-07-13|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}
  • Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS): Strathclyde University (2014); a laser and nanoparticle test to detect Meningitis or multiple pathogenic agents at the same time.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-26146806|title=Lasers used for meningitis test|date=2014-02-12|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-11-20|language=en-GB}}

Household innovations

  • The television: John Logie Baird (1923)
  • The refrigerator: William Cullen (1748){{cite web|url=http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blrefrigerator.htm|archive-url=http://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120427183922/http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blrefrigerator.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 April 2012|title=The history of the refrigerator and freezer about.com:inventors|access-date=2010-06-13}}
  • The flush toilet: Alexander Cumming (1775)Did Thomas Crapper Really Invent the Toilet?: The Inventions That Changed Our Homes and Our Lives Catherine O'Reilly
  • The vacuum flask: Sir James Dewar (1847–1932)Case Studies in Superconducting Magnets: Design and Operational Issues By Yukikazu Iwasa
  • The first distiller to triple distill Irish whiskey:{{Cite web |url=http://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/Home.aspx |title=Jameson Irish Whiskey - Welcome to the Home of the world’s number one Irish whiskey |access-date=2009-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320165717/http://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/Home.aspx |archive-date=2009-03-20 |url-status=dead }}John Jameson (Whisky distiller)
  • The piano footpedal: John Broadwood (1732–1812)The wonders of the piano: the anatomy of the instrument Catherine C. Bielefeldt, Alfred R. Weil
  • The first automated can-filling machine John West (1809–1888){{Cite journal|jstor = 20612107|title = Oregon's First Salmon Canner, "Captain" John West|journal = Oregon Historical Quarterly|volume = 54|issue = 3|pages = 240–248|last1 = Cunningham|first1 = Glenn|year = 1953}}
  • The waterproof macintosh: Charles Macintosh (1766–1843)The Picture History of Great Inventors By Gillian Clements
  • The kaleidoscope: Sir David Brewster (1781–1868)The kaleidoscope, its history, theory and construction with its application By Sir David Brewster
  • Keiller's marmalade Janet Keiller (1797) - The first recipe of rind suspended marmalade or Dundee marmalade produced in Dundee.
  • The modern lawnmower: Alexander Shanks (1801–1845)Grass tennis courts: how to construct and maintain them By J. Perris
  • The Lucifer friction match: Sir Isaac Holden (1807–1897)John Wesley Hanson (1900) Wonders of the nineteenth century: a panoramic review of the inventions and discoveries of the past hundred years, W. B. Conkey Publishers, Chicago
  • The self filling pen: Robert Thomson (1822–1873)Pen Portraits: Alexandria Virginia 1739–1900 by T. Michael Miller
  • Cotton-reel thread: J & J Clark of Paisleythe commercial directory and shipers guide 1875
  • Lime cordial: Lauchlan Rose in 1867
  • Bovril beef extract: John Lawson Johnston in 1874Thompson, William Phillips (1920). Handbook of patent law of all countries. London: Stevens. pp. 42
  • The electric clock: Alexander Bain (1840)An account of some remarkable applications of the electric fluid to the useful arts by Alexander Bain
  • Chemical Telegraph (Automatic Telegraphy) Alexander Bain (1846) In England Bain's telegraph was used on the wires of the Electric Telegraph Company to a limited extent, and in 1850 it was used in America.Alexander Bain of Watten: genius of the North Robert P. Gunn Caithness Field Club, 1976
  • Barr's Irn-Bru, soft drink produced by Barr's in Cumbernauld Scotland and exported all around the world. The drink is so widely popular in Scotland that it outsells both American colas Coca-Cola and Pepsi and ranks 3rd most popular drink in the UK with Coca-Cola and Pepsi taking the first two spots.{{Cite news|url=http://foodanddrink.scotsman.com/drink/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-irn-bru/|title=15 things you (probably) didn't know about Irn-Bru - Scotsman Food and Drink|date=2018-02-01|work=Scotsman Food and Drink|access-date=2018-11-20|language=en-US}}

Weapons innovations

Miscellaneous innovations

See also

References

{{reflist|3}}

  • [http://www.visitscotland.com/aboutscotland/history/scottishinventions Visit Scotland - Scottish Inventions]

=Publications=

  • Great Scottish Discoveries and Inventions, Bill Fletcher, William W. Fletcher, John Harrold, Drew, 1985, University of California, {{ISBN|0-86267-084-5}}, {{ISBN|978-0-86267-084-9}}
  • Great Scottish inventions and discoveries: a concise guide : a selection of Scottish inventions and discoveries made over a period stretching back to the fifteenth century, John Geddes, Northern Books, 1994
  • Scottish Inventors, Alistair Fyfe, HarperCollins, 1999, {{ISBN|0-00-472326-0}}, {{ISBN|978-0-00-472326-6}}
  • The Scottish invention of America, democracy and human rights: a history of liberty and freedom from the ancient Celts to the New Millennium, Alexander Leslie Klieforth, Robert John Munro, University Press of America, 2004, {{ISBN|0-7618-2791-9}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7618-2791-7}}
  • Philosophical chemistry in the Scottish enlightenment: the doctrines and discoveries of William Cullen and Joseph Black, Arthur L. Donovan

External links

  • [http://www2006.org/top20/inventions/ Top Twenty Scottish Inventions], 15th International World Wide Web Conference, Edinburgh, 2006
  • [http://www.friendsofscotland.gov.uk/education/inventors.html Scottish Inventors . . . who keep the world in touch], Global Friends of Scotland (a Scottish Executive website)
  • [http://www.scottish-inventions.org.uk/welcome_frame.htm Scottish Inventors and their Inventions], Kenmay Academy

{{Inventions}}

{{Economy of Scotland}}

{{Scotland topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scottish Inventions And Discoveries}}

Scottish inventor

Inventions

Category:Lists of inventions or discoveries