I did know the vague history (thank you for the details) because I am English and my wife is Scottish and I/we have joked about it many times. She can return the jibe that 100 years prior England fell under the Scottish crown (Union of Crowns 1603) but what makes that funny is James VI and I moved the capital to London and rarely returned to Scotland. James VI and I wanted the countries to be one but nobody else did at the time. Funny that he eventually got his dream a century later.
I had assumed the English had defeated the Scots in battle to force the United Kingdom into existence, but obviously not. This was almost as big a disaster as Henry Ford's Fordlandia, which you wrote about earlier.
But you can't keep the Scots down for long. Scotland soon became a place of literary, philosophical and scientific experimentation whose influence was felt around the world and is still felt today. And when the Scots of the Highlands were forced out during the Clearances, they exported those skills around the world to our great benefit.
One such place was Canada. My hometown of Winnipeg grew out of a settlement of displaced Scots financed by the nobleman Lord Selkirk. And more obviously, another province has born the name of Nova Scotia since the time prior to Confederation.
Naming things is always fascinating to me. The "New Scotland" name stuck around!
You're 100% right about the Scots, and I actually believe the unification was necessary for the little golden age of thought that occurred across the next century and then some.
@Andrew Smith You remind me of Paul Harvey telling "the other side of the story." Of course, you may be too young to remember him but he was not only a great storyteller, but a great finder of stories with an other side to ponder. Thanks for sharing this one.
You are absolutely right! As a kid, I was enchanted listening to him and I think he was responsible for my developing a mindset that there's alwasys a story beneath the story.
As always ... looking for the rest of the story. I remember hearing him a few times in my adult years but had no idea he went on that long. Remembering him and some of his stories could be a fun collaboration. ;-)
Centureis later, Scotland finally took the chance to separate from England once and for all ahead of the Brexit vote. England left the EU, while Scotland happily remained a part of it as a sovereign country.
What's that?
*Checks notes*
Oh, sorry, I was reading my "Dreams of Brexitania" fan fiction novel.
"Malaria and yellow fever tore through the population relentlessly" - I was just listening to The River of Doubt, about the Roosevelt Amazon expedition this morning, and this exact same subject came up. Far more than jaguars or piranhas, the expedition members dreaded the insects. They feared especially the malaria-bearing mosquitos, which can drink 3X their body weight in blood in 90 seconds.
I did know the vague history (thank you for the details) because I am English and my wife is Scottish and I/we have joked about it many times. She can return the jibe that 100 years prior England fell under the Scottish crown (Union of Crowns 1603) but what makes that funny is James VI and I moved the capital to London and rarely returned to Scotland. James VI and I wanted the countries to be one but nobody else did at the time. Funny that he eventually got his dream a century later.
I love the story of James VI (and I). The Scots were all like, "finally one of our own!" and then, they were like, "you English can keep him!"
And of course, I love the banter.
I had assumed the English had defeated the Scots in battle to force the United Kingdom into existence, but obviously not. This was almost as big a disaster as Henry Ford's Fordlandia, which you wrote about earlier.
But you can't keep the Scots down for long. Scotland soon became a place of literary, philosophical and scientific experimentation whose influence was felt around the world and is still felt today. And when the Scots of the Highlands were forced out during the Clearances, they exported those skills around the world to our great benefit.
One such place was Canada. My hometown of Winnipeg grew out of a settlement of displaced Scots financed by the nobleman Lord Selkirk. And more obviously, another province has born the name of Nova Scotia since the time prior to Confederation.
Naming things is always fascinating to me. The "New Scotland" name stuck around!
You're 100% right about the Scots, and I actually believe the unification was necessary for the little golden age of thought that occurred across the next century and then some.
@Andrew Smith You remind me of Paul Harvey telling "the other side of the story." Of course, you may be too young to remember him but he was not only a great storyteller, but a great finder of stories with an other side to ponder. Thanks for sharing this one.
I certainly do remember Paul Harvey! If I recall correctly, it was "....and that's the REST of the story!"
You are absolutely right! As a kid, I was enchanted listening to him and I think he was responsible for my developing a mindset that there's alwasys a story beneath the story.
Holy crap - I just looked it up, and "The Rest of the Story" ran all the way up until 2008, just one year before Harvey's death!
As always ... looking for the rest of the story. I remember hearing him a few times in my adult years but had no idea he went on that long. Remembering him and some of his stories could be a fun collaboration. ;-)
I can write a little bit about Harvey if you'd like to use it in a piece. Wanna take this conversation over to email?
I completely agree. Sometimes the same one-sided histories really do get dull.
Centureis later, Scotland finally took the chance to separate from England once and for all ahead of the Brexit vote. England left the EU, while Scotland happily remained a part of it as a sovereign country.
What's that?
*Checks notes*
Oh, sorry, I was reading my "Dreams of Brexitania" fan fiction novel.
"Malaria and yellow fever tore through the population relentlessly" - I was just listening to The River of Doubt, about the Roosevelt Amazon expedition this morning, and this exact same subject came up. Far more than jaguars or piranhas, the expedition members dreaded the insects. They feared especially the malaria-bearing mosquitos, which can drink 3X their body weight in blood in 90 seconds.
The Roosevelt expedition(s) would also be really interesting to write (or read) about.
It was probably on the cars anyway not with standing the events you describe.
On the cards I should text...!!!
Do you think they would have still united, even without a financial crisis?