February

Were it not for a Scottish private eye, the outcome of the American Civil War – and subsequent world history – might have been very different indeed. His intimate knowledge of the American railway system made him the perfect bodyguard for newly elected president Abraham Lincoln, who had to travel through territory that was aligned with forces that opposed him. Pinkerton’s smart manoeuvring saved the life of the president elect, and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

February was a notable month in Scottish literary circles. Author Muriel Spark, whose novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is considered a classic, was born in the month, and adventure writers John Buchan and Alistair MacLean, died. As a forerunner of Ian Fleming, Buchan wrote The Thirty-Nine Steps, introducing the world to spy Richard Hannay, who would go on to appear in a further six books. MacLean was perhaps even more successful, becoming one of the best-selling authors of all time, with more than 150 million copies of his books in print.

February was likewise the month in which the world lost author Rosamund Pilcher, and when Iain Banks published his first novel, The Wasp Factory.

In scientific circles, the man who identified acid rain and gave it the name by which we now know it, was born, and the doctor who invented the hypodermic syringe in Edinburgh died. Dolly the sheep, who was the first cloned mammal, and was already seven years old when she was born, also died, but will be remembered for years to come.

Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed in February, one day before the anniversary of the death of her husband, which had itself contributed to her demise. The first king of Scotland died at Cinnbelachoir, James I was assassinated, and the crown jewels of Scotland were found in a dusty old box after a search led by author Sir Walter Scott.