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Who was really the greatest Scot?

Have your say now as STV launches search for the greatest Scot of them all with a landmark new series as part of the Year Homecoming

23 June 2009 18:38 PM

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Who was really the greatest Scot?

Pic: Sanda Foxon

Who would you say was the greatest Scot, really? Do you go for a warrior and freedom fighter such as Robert the Bruce or William Wallace? Or one of the great thinkers of the Enlightenment whose ideas are still shaping the modern world such as Adam Smith or David Hume?

Or what of the great engineers, men like James Watt and Alexander Graham Bell. And then there are the medical pioneers such as Alexander Fleming or Marie Stopes? And we haven't even mentioned Robert Burns or Robert Louis Stevenson.

The list is a long one and the arguments passionate and enthralling. Now STV, in the Year of Homecoming 2009, is giving today's Scots the world over the chance to decide once and for all.

In a landmark new series, a panel  of experts including historians, politicians, business men and women, and cultural and religious leaders have selected a short list of 30 names.

Included are leaders and thinkers such as Robert the Bruce and David Hume, scientists and engineers such as Sir William Arroll, and Sir Alexander Fleming, sportsmen such as Jock Stein and Eric Liddell, and artists such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Robert Burns. The full list is available here.

 

Some contemporary Scots are included such as Sir Chris Hoy and Anne Gloag. But others are notable for their omission – no Sir Sean Connery, no Kenny Dalglish, no Evelyn Glennie or Andy Murray.

 

Now STV, in partnership with The Daily Record and Sunday Mail, is offering Scots the chance to take issue with the panel and nominate their own Greatest Scot. The five names nominated most often over the next fortnight will be the People's Champions, and will be added to the original 30

These in turn will be introduced and championed over a week of programmes before the public is invited to vote on them. The result will be announced live on STV on St Andrew's night, November 30, later this year.

So let's settle this once and for all - or for a generation anyway. Tell us what you think on this page, or

use our nomination form here.

Last updated: 06 November 2009, 11:05

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  1. Default avatar

    1. 27 Jul 2009 15:08ubiquitouschip said

    New correspondent.

    Two scientists who are undoubtedly overlooked are Boyd Orr, nutritionist and founder of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO).

    He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his views on World Government.

    Also James Clerk Maxwell whom Einstein described as the 'founder of the modern world' He was far ahead of his time. Without him Marconi and Hertz would not have understood how to invent radio. We need statues to each of them in George Square.

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    2. 31 Jul 2009 16:31Mady said

    Would have to say Robert Burns, his works have endured and are just as relevant in modern times.

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  3. Default avatar

    3. 31 Jul 2009 17:35Craig Duncan - STV said

    Hi everyone, thanks for your comments so far. It's great to get everyone's opinion and really gives us food for thought.

    We'd love to hear who you would regard as the Greatest Ever Scot. It could be anyone from a warrior to a thinker, sports person to an actor, musician to an author or inventor to an entrepreneur.

    It'd be brilliant to hear your thoughts.

    Thanks

    Craig, Eleanor and Kirsten

    The Greatest Scot Production Team

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  4. Default avatar

    4. 31 Jul 2009 19:34Theodore De Beza said

    It has to be John Knox. Setting up schools in every parish - he is the father of the Scottish Education - which became a non-negotiable during the negotiations over the Union with Englad in 1707.

    Knox is also responsible for the democratisation of the church, onto a presbyterian system. He thereby imported democracy in to the naiton.

    He held the monarch to account, reminding the then Queen of her responsibilities.

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    5. 03 Aug 2009 11:48Littlerich said

    Jim Taggart is the most famous Scots detective... In fact, he has continued to solve Murrrderrs well after his own death!

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    6. 04 Aug 2009 00:07AMM said

    It has to be Keir Hardie

    A man from poverty stricken circumstances who became a leading politician, supported the Suffragettes, went to prison for his beliefs in this, did more for Reforms in Welfare and helped change the conditions for the better for the working class people of this country. To Scotland's shame with her lack of education, we have taken for granted and forgotten this caring humanitarian wonderful man, who put his convictions before everything.

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  7. Default avatar

    7. 04 Aug 2009 00:07AMM said

    It has to be Keir Hardie

    A man from poverty stricken circumstances who became a leading politician, supported the Suffragettes, went to prison for his beliefs in this, did more for Reforms in Welfare and helped change the conditions for the better for the working class people of this country. To Scotland's shame with her lack of education, we have taken for granted and forgotten this caring humanitarian wonderful man, who put his convictions before everything.

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  8. Default avatar

    8. 04 Aug 2009 12:14MartinM said

    For me it has to be the greatly overlooked (Queen) Saint Margaret of Scotland.

    Married to Malcolm Canmore, she helped unify the Scottish people, instituted the Sabbath (day of rest) and established monasteries, churches and hostels throughout the land. Along with Malcolm, she also started a Royal dynasty which would help to unite Scotland with England as well as producing many kings and queens, Robert the Bruce among them.

    The eminent historian Dr. Skene has said "she is unsurpassed" and he adds, "No more beautiful character has been recorded in history."

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  9. Default avatar

    9. 04 Aug 2009 14:21m07thomson said

    I would vote for Sir William Alexander Smith.

    The founder of the Boys' Brigade which was established in Glasgow and then quickly spread across Britain and the World. It celebrated its 125th anniversary last year and still has strong membership throughout the world. The brigade has modernised but the key objects that were set 126 years ago are still in place today.

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    10. 04 Aug 2009 16:20Mactomais said

    One man was said to be able to change the world. And he did. He was Dunbar born John Muir, Father of Conservation and responsible for the National Parks system

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    11. 04 Aug 2009 18:00Robert Burns said

    Who else from such a humble beginning has influenced fellow poets, British prime ministers, US presidents, politicians throughout the world, folk from all walks of life? Who else is a favourite in countries as diverse as Russia and the US? Who else better represents the best of Scotland in poetry and song? Who else will be remembered so fondly throughout the world 250 years after his birth (and still counting)? For me it has to be that man, Robert Burns.

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    12. 05 Aug 2009 15:14TerryAce said

    A surprise nomination: in terms of lasting influence, King James VI of Scotland (also King James I of England)for authrozing the Bible that bears his name and for the democratic impulse to remove all commentary and let the people read the text for themselves. Whatever else he did, these two decisions influenced the English language for hundreds of years and made the King James Bible the standard of literature and education in the known world.

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    13. 05 Aug 2009 15:42Kansas City Scotsman said

    It is very difficult to select a "greatest" Scotsman, but if we must then I would agree with Theodore that John Knox should be selected. Besides what Theodore has already said, the Scottish Reformation started by Knox had a tremendous influence on the United States. While 56% of the signers of the U.S. Constitution were Episcopalian, 30% were Presbyterian. The ideals of freedom that the Founding Fathers of the United States had, along with their politicals that appear in the U.S. Constitution, come directly from the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) founded by John Knox.

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    14. 05 Aug 2009 16:11BDCF said

    My Granny always said that the greatest Scot was William Wallace and granny's are never wrong.

    I 'm from California and I was raised by my grandmother from the age of 4. She always talked of Scotland, Bobby Burns and William Wallace. She immigrated to America with her Mother in 1896 and loved Scotland to her dying day 96 years old.

    I should mention that she may have been a wee bit partial to Sir William, her maiden name was Marion Wallace from Ayrshire (Kilmarnock).

    Pro Libertate!

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    15. 05 Aug 2009 17:08wee Mar said

    I think it is Alexander Fleming for the discovery of Penicillin. Look how many lives have been saved in the world.You may not know his name but, you know the medication,and if it wasn't for The movie Braveheart, not many, outside Scotland would know of Bruce ,Wallace or Burns.

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  16. Avatar for Scots-Irish American

    16. 05 Aug 2009 18:42Scots-Irish American said

    For me, it is not the literature or arts or even medicine that makes a man the greatest. It is the heart and soul of the man and his leadership in defending an ideal or concept of country. Three men come to mind for me. (1) King Kenneth MacAlpin, the first Scottish king. (2) William Wallace, his willingness to take up the sword in the defense of liberty and to lead a nation with action not mere words. (3) King Robert the Bruce, who continued the ideals of William Wallace and defeated the British at Bannockburn.

    These are your greatest Scots. These great Scots left a lasting impression on the identity of Scotland and Scotland's impact and history in the world.

    I'm proud to be a Scots-Irish American.

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  17. Default avatar

    17. 05 Aug 2009 19:25Hudson_Hawk said

    The greatest Scot? He or she will be first baby born in an independent Scotland, of course.

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  18. Default avatar

    18. 05 Aug 2009 19:28Great Scot said

    There are so may Scots that have made their special and important mark on Scotland and the world that is is almost impossible to answer the question. It would be easier if you were to set categories such as politics (Bruce as he achieved freedom for the Scots), literature (Burns for his peoms which gave enjoyment and pride to Scots first and then to the world),science(Bellas he allowed the world to communicate and see where we are today with all the cell phones), architecture (Renie MacIntosh), engineering (Stevenson), and so on. However I must answer the question as it is and I would select Robert Burns. He is the only human that on one night (New Years Eve)each year almost everyone in the world sign or celebrate to his "Auld Lang Syne."

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    19. 05 Aug 2009 20:30J.B. said

    From a Scottish-American perspective, the greatest Scot was John Paul Jones. He was the father of the United States Navy, which eventually grew into the world's greatest naval force. Throughout its illustrious history, John Paul Jones has been, is, and forever will be honored as the founder of the U.S. Navy, in the same revered pantheon with George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson.

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    20. 06 Aug 2009 01:43Fraochale said

    Politically

    1) King David I who brought Scotland onto the world stage and created a Scottish economy that wasn't tied to England

    2) King James IV- brought the Lord of the Isle in to the fold and united a whole Scotland, created Scotland' naval presence with the building of the Great Michael, was a true Renaissance man with interested in science, the arts, gave charters to the Royal Surgeons, put forth that noble heirs should be educated, He was the last king to be known to have spoken Gaelic (even BPC who was the darlings of the Highland clans couldn't speake Gaelic) with Flodden not withstanding he was Scotland's greatest Stewart/Stuart King.

    And how about Scottish women:

    1) Black Agnes, the Countess of Moray- a true medieval heroine.

    2) Isabel MacDuff, Countess Buchan who defied her husband's family and crowned King Robert Bruce at Scone in 1306

    3) Jane Maxwell, Duchess of Gordon, who during the late Georgian period brought Scottish arts before the London crowd.

    4) Sophia Jex Blake: the first woman to graduate medical school, but was forced to work in Ireland as a physican and improved women's medical care.

    5) Dr Elise Inglis- creator of the Scottish Women's Hospital and served in Serbia setting up a hospital during the first WW- Scotland's Florence Nightingale.

    6) Marjory Kennedy Fraser- noted Gaelic musician who saved the songs of the Hebrides, in her three volume collection of Songs of the Hebrides and created a marching song for the troops in WWI called THE ROAD TO THE ISLES.

    What is the definition of the greatest, most known, best contribution of Scottish culture to the world or contribution to the Scottish people. The choices are endless but at least there better be some women on the list.

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  21. Default avatar

    21. 06 Aug 2009 23:09charmech said

    My vote for greatest Scot goes to James Clerk Maxwell. Nobel prize winner Richard Feynman said that in the future the 1860s will be remembered, not for the American Civil War which will be a mere footnote in history, but for Maxwell's mathematical description of electromagnetism.

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  22. Default avatar

    22. 07 Aug 2009 17:31AlbaSteve said

    Two more for consideration.

    John Logie Baird.

    Simply changed the world.

    John Muir.

    Almost unknown in his native Scotland Muir is a national hero in the USA.

    He was a pioneering environmentalist responsible for instigating Yosemite National Park advocating protection for wild places and animals.

    Fascinating life story.

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  23. Default avatar

    23. 12 Aug 2009 00:54DavidA said

    The greatest love and sacrifice for Scotland equals the Greatest Scotsman - WILLIAM WALLACE

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  24. Avatar for Scots-Irish American

    24. 12 Aug 2009 09:20Scots-Irish American said

    The Greatest Scot is King Kenneth MacAlpin!

    There would be no Scotland without the man who gave Scotland its beginnings, who fought most of the earliest battles and who left a line of descendants for over 250 years of Scottish kings between Kenneth MacAlpin and his brother, Donald.

    The king who brought the "stone of destiny or stone of scone" that all kings are crowned upon in Scotland. The greatest Scot is King Kenneth MacAlpin!!!! Scotland's first king.

    -------

    see:

    http://www.economicexpert.com/...tland.html

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  25. Default avatar

    25. 13 Aug 2009 13:56RoryS said

    John Muir's childhood in Dunbar inspired him to go on to become one of the first true conservationists.

    His legacy can be seen across the world in the modern environmental movement.

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  26. Avatar for garythesnail

    26. 13 Aug 2009 14:50garythesnail said

    Susan Boyle, innit!

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  27. Avatar for Frosty Jack

    27. 13 Aug 2009 18:04Frosty Jack said

    Without doubt the Greatest Scot living or dead is Dougie Donnelly.

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  28. Default avatar

    28. 13 Aug 2009 20:18debrastorr said

    I think the title should go to those who have a wider impact than just Scotland.

    Andrew Carnegie must be in the running for all the gifts he gave back to Scotland after making his fortune in the US - but perhaps mere money si not enough. It's the ideas that matter so how about ....

    John Muir who sparked a world wide national park movement.

    And who do you pick from the scientists and engineers? The list is so long and so many have had such impacts ....

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  29. Avatar for Mackalba

    29. 15 Aug 2009 22:41Mackalba said

    I feel that Sir William Wallace should be our greatest Scot as he believed in "Freedom".

    We should still treasure Scotland as our own and have it known as a beautiful independant country throughtout the world.

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  30. Default avatar

    30. 17 Aug 2009 23:26Murray73 said

    The Scot who touched more lives in history by showing the path for one to rise from being a net debtor/taker to a wealth producing/giver, and was the leading intellectual of the Scottish Enlightenment was Adam Smith. The Father of economics and capitalism has scored universal success by showing individuals that to first help themselves, they then will possess the means to help others through taxes and philanthropy. He's my vote for the greatest Scot.

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  31. Default avatar

    31. 18 Aug 2009 16:03calmac10000 said

    It is extremely difficult if not indeed entirely fatuous to try and compare different historical characters through the prism of the 21st Century.Nonetheless two historical Scots who have made incalculable benefits to the store of human knowledge and who are often overlooked for some strange reason are the empiricist philosopher David Hune and the theoretical physicist and mathematicion James Clerk Maxwell.

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  32. Default avatar

    32. 23 Aug 2009 01:04Muirpower said

    Scotland certainly produced great literary figures, scientists, political leaders, philanthropists, etc. But it is not enough to evaluate these persons by their historical body of work alone, whether it is writing, poetry, art, or scientific discovery. To me, the important criteria is which of their ideas or actions are most relevant to our world today; how their ideas and actions are most crucially needed today. Using that criteria, John Muir leads the list. In an era where our world civilization's survival is threatened by global warming, where technology threatens to overwhelm our daily lives so much that we spend more time on computers and cell phones than enjoying the sunset or a walk in the woods, John Muir's message is not only the mot relevant, but the most inspirational. His message and actions continue to inspire hugely needed groups like the one he founded in America, the Sierra Club, and the John Muir Trust in Scotland, as they try to tell the world how important it is, as Muir said, to "climb the mountains" and to really understand the most fundamental principle of ecology as Muir stated: "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." The entire green movement owes everything to John Muir, and the National Parks that he inspired as a system are now a global phenomenon that are increasingly recognized as "America's Best Idea." Scotland's John Muir transcends Scotland - he is the ultimate figure of importance in the world today, given where our global civilization is at this crossroads in history.

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  33. Default avatar

    33. 26 Aug 2009 12:23Seumas said

    There are so many. But how about Roy Williamson of The Corries for his song "Flower of Scotland"?

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  34. Default avatar

    34. 26 Aug 2009 12:24Seumas said

    There are so many. But how about Roy Williamson of The Corries for his song "Flower of Scotland"?

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  35. Default avatar

    35. 26 Aug 2009 16:05minstrel said

    I think personally the greatest Scot is Sir Alex Fleming. He cured more people than the military leaders killed. Probably I wouldn't be here today except for the discovery of penicillin.

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  36. Default avatar

    36. 26 Aug 2009 19:17Skratch said

    As an exile living in England, there is not a day goes past without thinking of my country.

    I have great difficulty in nominating a "Greatest Scot" because we're all great!

    From Wallace to Williamson, Bruce to Buchan, the world envies our nation's ability to produce people who have enlightened, charmed and changed societies throughout history. Here's tae us!!

    Oh my vote? Burns! for no other reason than he makes me very, very proud to be one of Jock Tamsons bairns!

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  37. Default avatar

    37. 27 Aug 2009 01:12rwa325 said

    Alexander Graham Bell and James Watt certainly had the greatest impact on the modern world, but being brilliant scientists doesn't make either of them the greatest Scot. I would have to say that the name that epitomizes the very spirit of Scotland is Sir William Wallace.

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  38. Default avatar

    38. 27 Aug 2009 10:32Quarriers said

    What about William Quarrier? He was a successful Glasgow shoe retailer who began caring for orphaned and destitute children in Glasgow in the early 1870's. Realising large institutional orphanages offered little in the way of a home environment to children in their care, Quarrier determined from an early age to set up a children's village, where poor children from the towns and cities of Scotland might enjoy a new life in cottage homes, under the supervision of house fathers and house mothers. His vision grew and evolved and has become the charity Quarriers which now supports thousands of people across Scotland and the South West of England.

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  39. Default avatar

    39. 27 Aug 2009 11:49Baobab said

    David Livingstone, opened up a whole continent and aided our understanding of the natural world, developed trade routes for rubber,wood, gold etc essential for our industrial progress. Then his work in tackling the outrage of slavery which resonnates worldwide today and stands as a symbol for much of the values we hold and espouse.

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  40. Default avatar

    40. 27 Aug 2009 12:45derick said

    hello again, the greatest Scot in my opinion is!

    1,Robert Burns. 2,William Wallace. 3,Sean connery. 4,John Michie. 5,R.L.Stevenson. 6,Robert the Bruce. 7,Grey' Bobby. 8,Billy Connelly. 9,Rob Roy.10,the man who invented Scotch Whisky. Please keep me posted on who ever wins. Thanks.

    Derick

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  41. Default avatar

    41. 27 Aug 2009 12:50derick said

    Hi, Please tell me Boabab, What doe's "espouse" mean ???

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  42. Default avatar

    42. 27 Aug 2009 13:07derick said

    from an early age I've always wanted tae wear a kilt and when I didn't, I felt undressed so tae speak, My Greatest Scot has tae be My Great, Great Grandfather for fighting for Scotland.

    "Albá gu Bráth"

    "Soar Albá"

    DERICK

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  43. Default avatar

    43. 28 Aug 2009 15:31derick said

    Fáilte gu Albá.

    The greatest Scot ever, and the list is long, is

    William Wallace.

    then me

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  44. Default avatar

    44. 04 Sep 2009 03:55g. mclauchlan said

    There is no doubt that this honour belongs to James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879). His greatest achievement was the derivation of the equations describing electromagnetic radiation without which the equations embodied in Einstein's theories of relativity would not have been possible. Among many other contributions he produced the world's first colour photograph and supervised the design and construction of the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge

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  45. Default avatar

    45. 04 Sep 2009 21:57derick said

    One man wanted freedom for every one in Scotland from England. Every man/woman/child, that have a hint of Scottish Blood, even to this day, wants the same thing. Freedom from English rule.

    William Wallace

    "Albá gu bráth"

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  46. Default avatar

    46. 06 Sep 2009 11:19derick said

    At the end of the day, when your lying in your bed's after making your mind's up about who is the Greatest Scot ever. Remember,not one, EVERYONE is a winner

    "Albá", "Soar Albá"

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  47. Default avatar

    47. 07 Sep 2009 23:05John B. said

    My nomination for greatest scot is :-

    1.Adam Smith, the father of economics.

    2.Robert Burns, the greatest poet who has ever lived and Scotland's Bard.

    3.Keir Hardie

    4.John Logie Baird, without whom this web site and STV. would'nt exist.

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  48. Default avatar

    48. 08 Sep 2009 11:15RITA ONE said

    I think there's a lot of People out there who should be on the list. I like Sir William Wallace, for what he's done and try'ed. He may be gone but what he wanted will live for ever in every body's heart, Freedom.

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  49. Default avatar

    49. 11 Sep 2009 14:21derick said

    I nominate The first man who invented Scotch. I don't know his name, I wish I did, I'd buy him a drink to wet his whistle

    Derick MacRobín

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  50. Default avatar

    50. 12 Sep 2009 11:31derick said

    My wife nominates Robbie Burns, because she is reading his Poems at the moment and learning Scottish Gaelic.

    derick

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  51. Default avatar

    51. 16 Sep 2009 22:19louloumel said

    I am a primary 7 teacher and my class have all just completed individual reports on an innovative scot of their choice. I have been amazed at the work they have produced. This topic, and more importantly the people they have been investigating, have really captured their imagination and definitely inspired some inovative ideas of their own too. Their most popular people have been Sir Alexander Fleming, Kirkpatrick MacMillan, John Dunlop and Sir Alexander Graham Bell. However they have also discovered Sir David Brewster and Sir Robert Watson-Watt, names they'd never heard of before this project. We should definitely celebrate our great Scots more!

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  52. Default avatar

    52. 23 Sep 2009 09:14derick said

    When your lying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade al o' those days for this, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and vote for your greatest Scott ever, and tell the rest,there are no losers, every one nominated and those that are not, are all winners

    "They may take our Whisky,

    But they'll never take

    Our Legends"

    Albá gu Bráth

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  53. Default avatar

    53. 23 Sep 2009 09:16derick said

    P.S.

    No, I'm not a Tourist

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  54. Default avatar

    54. 31 Oct 2009 23:03Scotdot said

    Why is J K Rowling listed on the STV Great Scot Promo Advert? She isn't Scottish!

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  55. Default avatar

    55. 01 Nov 2009 10:44flockhart said

    Only a few Scots are world renowned in their field.

    Similar "Greatest lists" - remember the greatest Britons anyone, where we had the likes of Frank Spencer and Diana, Princess of Wales alongside Charles Darwin, William Shakespeare, Newton and Churchill.

    Not to denigrate "popular" celebrities and sports persons and their personal achievements, but there are thousands who have accomplished the admirable sporting success of a Chris Hoy or Andy Murray and to put any "personalities" like Billy Connolly and Sean Connery or Kenny Dalglish in the same league as those below is to demonstrate voter ignorance rather than Scottish Greatness. I think the following should be up there.

    James Clerk Maxwell (1831 - 1879)

    Mathematician and Physicist. Ranks along with Newton and Einstein as one of the World's greatest physicists.

    David Hume (1711 - 1776)

    Philosopher leading figure of the Scottish Enlightenment.

    Adam Smith (1723 - 1790)

    Economist. His book " Wealth of Nations" was the corner-stone of all political economy.

    Two Scots who won a Nobel peace prize

    Sir Alexander Fleming (1881 - 1955)

    We all know he discovered the world's first antibiotic drug - Penicillin. received the Nobel Prize in 1944.

    Lord John Boyd-Orr (1880 - 1971)

    As Director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, food policies he implemented helped save millions, for which he was awarded a Nobel Peace prize in 1947.

    A Scot renowned in the USA is John Muir (1834 - 1914) Naturalist and Conservationist, born in Dunbar. Founder of the U.S. National Park system and regarded as the father of the modern environmental movement.

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  56. Default avatar

    56. 01 Nov 2009 10:45flockhart said

    had to chop this in two :)......

    We have some great inventors from

    Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922)

    Born in Edinburgh. Having emigrated to Canada and later the USA, Bell became the inventor of the telephone in 1876.

    James Watt (1736 - 1819)

    Developed the steam engine into a practical source of power and invented the governor as a control device.

    John Logie Baird (1888 - 1946)

    Engineer. Inventor of the television and later developed ideas such as colour, 3-D and large screen television and fibre-optics

    Scots who dramatically changed the lives of ordinary people.

    Joseph Lister (1827 - 1912)

    A surgeon who pioneered the use of antiseptics and thereby dramatically reduced the number of post-opertive deaths due to infection.

    Mary Slessor (1848 - 1915)

    A Dundee mill girl who became a great missionary in West Africa. Called 'Great Mother' by Nigerians, she provided healthcare and education.

    James Keir Hardie (1856 - 1915)

    Radical Socialist. A miner who became a founder of the British Labour Party

    Or are there unsung heroes

    James Hutton (1726 - 1797)

    Father of modern Geology and his his "Theory of the Earth" published in 1785 giving explanation of the geological history of the earth, "no vestige of a beginning, no concept of an end".

    Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin needed his theory of uniformitarianism, to justify the theory of evolution, perhaps the single most influential theory every devised.

    I hope this will not become a parochial nationalistic battle field with Rabbie and William Wallace vying with Baird Bell and Watt.

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  57. Default avatar

    57. 08 Nov 2009 05:52jamglascot said

    My vote would defo go to Roy williamson (1937 - 1990)

    Half of the Scottish folk band "The Corries" who, in the 1960's, wrote "Flower of Scotland", which has subsequently been adopted as Scotland's unofficial National Anthem.

    Williamson was a skilled woodworker. In the summer of 1969 he invented the 'combolins', two complementary instruments which combined several into a single instrument. One combined a mandolin and a guitar (along with four bass strings operated with slides) , the other combined guitar and the 12-string Spanish bandurria, the latter being an instrument Williamson had played since the early days of the Corrie Folk Trio.

    As a young man, Roy Williamson played rugby for Edinburgh Wanderers. However, he suffered from asthma and before a series of concerts he would deliberately cease treatment in order to provoke attacks and gain temporary immunity. From 1987 Williamson's health went into decline and he spent his last years living in Forres, close to where he spent his school years. He died of a brain tumour in 1990.

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    58. 08 Nov 2009 05:53jamglascot said

    If not Williamson The Corries at least deserve a mention because they made scottish folk music into a fun event and im a 20 year old man right now who's grand mother raised me on corries songs and even in this day of age i still listen to them

    Within a year they appeared on television. Williamson and Browne were art teachers, Smith was an architect and Bell was a secretary. In 1964 they topped the bill at a show with The Dubliners at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. The BBC began a television series set in a folk club. The resident group at the "Hoot'nanny Show" was the Corrie Folk Trio. This meant they became full-time professionals. Within two years Paddie Bell and Bill Smith left. Williamson was a talented multi-instrumentalist and Browne was the singer. They cancelled all engagements for a few months to practise intensively. Under the new name, "The Corries", they performed at the Jubilee Arms Hotel in Cortachy, Angus. The response encouraged them to continue.

    Another BBC series "The White Heather Club" began in 1958. It featured Andy Stewart, Jimmy Shand and his Band, Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor, and the Corries. While the rest of the show was set in a studio, the Corries were filmed in location: sea songs were sung in a harbour, "Braes o' Killiecrankie" was sung at the Pass of Killiecrankie, and so on. They were effectively pioneers of the music video.

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  59. Default avatar

    59. 09 Nov 2009 12:31traveller said

    Robert The Bruce or Ann Gloag? Wow,difficult choice!!

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  60. Default avatar

    60. 10 Nov 2009 08:58Mobil said

    I can not believe that not only neglected our greatest ever engineering dynasty yet found time to demean them. The Stevenson family built the worlds greatest wonders around our coast keeping it safe for our own seamen and international travellers. Skerryvore Lighthouse is considered the eigth wonder of the world - were the men who designed and built it mentioned? No. Only there sickly son whon could not tie their shoelaces. Shame on your programme. Not even a mention of the man who built our nation Thomas Telford.

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  61. Default avatar

    61. 12 Nov 2009 23:13Jim Aberdeen said

    John McAdam born in Ayr 1756 in 1816 he

    remade roads before he died in 1836

    and his idea is still used today around the world

    that's what call a great Scott .But I don't realy

    care who wins cause fars like us.

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  62. Default avatar

    62. 17 Nov 2009 16:20ro51 said

    How can u put the likes ofbilly connelly e.t.c against medical science like Lister .Fleming.maxwell etc should be seperate categories

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  63. Default avatar

    63. 30 Nov 2009 06:38Cinn Alla said

    Forget the Scots who, great though they may be, have become the icons of petty separatism and Scottish statism; remember instead the likes of Andrew Hardie, John Baird, and James Wilson...

    "SCOTLAND FREE OR A DESERT"

    ... the heroes and martyrs of the 1820 Uprising. It's not the English who were/are the enemy of the ordinary Scots people!

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  64. Default avatar

    64. 30 Nov 2009 11:33barbaz said

    I would not be here if it was not for penicillin so my vote goes to Alexander Fleming.

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