Famous Scottish People

William Wallace
William Wallace is known as the greatest hero and one of the most important symbols of Scottish independence in Scotland's history, although he lived many centuries ago. Although his exact birth date and birthplace is unknown, he was born around 1276. William was Sir Malcolm Wallace's second son of three. By the year 1297, Wallace controlled much of Scotland, and his battles were something movies are made of.

Although his army was outnumbered, they
managed to defeat the English army at Stirling Bridge, using strategy and
intimidation – the victory that drove the English out of Scotland. In 1305,
Wallace was captured and taken to trial in London, where he was convicted of
treachery and was brutally murdered.

Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart started out as a soccer player and ended up as a very famous artist.
He was discovered in 1964, by Long John Baldry, when he was singing to himself
in a railway station. Stewart entertained most of the world with his timeless
hits, such as “You’re In My Heart, “Forever Young”, “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”,
and his newest recording “When We Were The New Boys.

King MacBeth

Although celebrated by William Shakespeare, as a man obsessed with greed and
power, King MacBeth (1040-1057) was actually one of Scotland’s better rulers.
He ruled Scotland through the years 1040 – 1057, during his reign he united
the north and the south and brought a resemblance of law and order to Scotland.

Sean Connery

Connery is pretty much famous for being the original 007, James Bond. Sean Connery has been in an overall of more than 60 films, and also participated in a Mr.
Universe. He starred in seven James Bond movies and went on to make many more
popular movies including The Name of the Rose, The Hunt for Red October, and
Highlander.

Alexander Graham Bell

Born on March 3, 1847, Alexander Graham Bell is probably best known for the
invention of the first telephone, although he also played a major role in early aviation and laid the groundwork for the modern day’s fibre optics.

Sir Alexander Fleming

Sir Alexander Fleming was born in Lochfield, Scotland in 1881 and was awarded
the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of penicillin.
Fleming was knighted in 1944, the year before he won the Nobel Prize. His most
famous discovery began as an accident – In 1928, while working on influenza
virus, he observed that mould had developed accidentally on a staphylococcus
culture plate and that the mould had created a bacteria-free circle around
itself. He was inspired to further experiment and he found that a mould culture
prevented growth of staphylococci, even when diluted 800 times. He named the
active substance penicillin. Dr Fleming died in March 11th of 1955, at the age
of 73. He is buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

James Watt

Born in Greenock, Scotland, engineer James Watt was one of the most significant
characters in the Industrial Revolution and he also improved the design of the
Newcomen steam engine.

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