The 30th of November means that Saltires all over the world will be waving as Scots celebrate their patron saint’s day and all things Scottish.

In fact - the majority of people on earth will be using at least one Scottish invention today as part of their everyday lives!

Here’s a list of just some of the useful things the Scots have been responsible for creating, discovering and developing. What would you have done without us!!

The adhesive postage stamp, the hollow-pipe drainage system, the breech loading rifle,  reflecting telescope, Tarmacadam, the telephone, the Macintosh raincoat, threshing machine, the concept of logarithms and the decimal point, the Bank of England, the use of chloroform in anaesthetics, iron plough, the first steam powered marine engine, vulcanised rubber pneumatic tyres , patented the fountain pen and patented the steam traction engine,  the process of refining oil, kaleidoscopes, the vacuum flask, the reaping machine which led to the combine harvester, RADAR, the concept of latent heat and the discovery of Carbon Dioxide, the two-stroke Clerk Cycle Gas Engine, television, the use of tubular steel in construction, the percussion cap which later became the bullet, coal-gas lighting, blackboard and coloured chalk, Inventor of the ATM, World time zones, hypodermic needle, the process of criminal fingerprinting, ultrasound scanner, the Anderson Air Raid Shelter

And  did you know that……

• Saint Andrew is not only the patron saint of Scotland but is also the patron saint of Romania, Malta and Russia.
• He was Christ’s first disciple.
• He was born in Bethsaida in Galilee
• He was born and brought up as a Jew
• He spoke Aramaic
• Andrew’s Greek name was Andreas which means ‘manly’
• He was the elder brother of Saint Peter
• Andrew was a fisherman by trade
• He was the second person to be baptised by John the Baptist after Jesus
• Andrew was martyred for his faith in Patras
• Legend has it that some of St Andrew’s bones were taken to Scotland by St. Rule (also known as St Regulus) in Pictish times
• His bones once lay in St. Andrew’s Cathedral
• The first church in England to be dedicated to him was in Rochester
• His emblem is a cross Saltire
• The flag of Scotland, the Union Flag, the Arms and Flag of Scotia all feature a Saltire to commemorate St Andrew
• He is also patron of the Order of the Thistle, one of the highest ranks of chivalry in the world

Waterhorse mania is about to hit - so as I was finding out about the author I thought I would share the following with you…

Dick King-Smith (born 27 March 1922, March Bitton, Gloucestershire, England) is a prolific English children’s author, who has, up to know, been best known for writing The Sheep-Pig, retitled in the US as Babe the Gallant Pig, upon which the movie Babe was based. He was a farmer for 20 years before he became a teacher and author.

Dick King-Smith’s first book was The Fox Busters, published in 1978. He is one of the UK’s most prolific authors and has written over a hundred books, which have sold over five million copies in the UK alone and been translated into twelve languages. A list of all his books is below - but have a look at this clip with an interview with the Author.

Books by Dick King Smith

1. The Fox Busters (1978)
2. Daggie Dogfoot retitled in the US as Pigs Might Fly (1980)
3. Magnus Powermouse (1982)
4. The Queen’s Nose (1983)
5. The Sheep-Pig retitled in the US as Babe, The Gallant Pig (1983)
6. Saddlebottom (1985)
7. Noah’s Brother (1986)
8. The Hodgeheg (1987)
9. Tumbleweed (1987)
10. Farmer Bungle Forgets (1987)
11. Friends and Brothers (1987)
12. Cuckoobush Farm (1987)
13. George Speaks (1988)
14. The Mouse Butcher (1988)
15. Emily’s Legs (1988)
16. Water Watch (1988)
17. Dodo Comes to Tumbledown Farm (1988)
18. Tumbledown Farm - The Greatest (1988)
19. The Jenius (1988)
20. Sophie
21. Sophie’s Snail (1988)
22. Sophie Hits Six (1991)
23. Sophie’s Tom (1991)
24. Sophie in the Saddle (1993)
25. Sophie Is Seven (1994)
26. Sophie’s Lucky (1995)
27. Alice And Flower And Foxianna (1989)
28. Beware of the Bull (1989)
29. The Toby Man (1989)
30. Dodos Are Forever (1989)
31. The Trouble with Edward (1989)
32. Jungle Jingles (1990)
33. Ace: The Very Important Pig (1990)
34. Blessu (1990)
35. Paddy’s Pot of God (1990)
36. Alphabeasts (1990)
37. The Water Horse (1990)
38. The Whistling Piglet (1990)
39. The Jolly Witch
40. The Jolly Witch (1990)
41. Mrs. Jollipop (1996)
42. Mrs. Jolly’s Brolly (1998)
43. The Cuckoo Child (1991)
44. The Guard Dog (1991)
45. Martin’s Mice (1991)
46. Lightning Strikes Twice (1991)
47. Caruso’s Cool Cats (1991)
48. Dick King-Smith’s Triffic Pig Book (1991)
49. Find the White Horse (1991)
50. Horace and Maurice (1991)
51. Lady Daisy (1992)
52. Pretty Polly (1992)
53. Dick King-Smith’s Water Watch (1992)
54. The Finger Eater (1992)
55. The Ghost At Codlin Castle And Other Stories (1992)
56. Super Terrific Pigs (1992)
57. The Invisible Dog (1993)
58. All Pigs Are Beautiful (1993)
59. The Merrythought (1993)
60. The Swoose (1993)
61. Uncle Bumpo (1993)
62. Dragon Boy (1993)
63. Horse Pie (1993)
64. Harry’s Mad (1993)
65. Connie and Rollo (1994)
66. The Schoolmouse (1994)
67. Triffic: A Rare Pig’s Tale (1994)
68. Mr. Potter’s Pet (1994)
69. Harriet’s Hare (1994)
70. The Excitement of Being Ernest (1994)
71. I Love Guinea Pigs (1994)
72. Three Terrible Trins (1994)
73. Happy Mouseday (1994)
74. Bobby the Bad (1994)
75. The Clockwork Mouse (1995)
76. King Max (1995)
77. Omnibombulator (1995)
78. The Terrible Trins (1995)
79. Warlock Watson (1995)
80. All Because of Jackson (1995)
81. The Stray (1996)
82. Clever Duck (1996)
83. Dirty Gertie Macintosh (1996)
84. Smasher (1996)
85. Godhanger (1996)
86. King Max the Last (1996)
87. Winter Wonderland (1996)
88. Treasure Trove (1996)
89. Mixed-up Max (1997)
90. What Sadie Saw (1997)
91. The Spotty Pig (1997)
92. A Mouse Called Wolf (1997)
93. Robin Hood And His Miserable Men (1997)
94. Thinderella (1997)
95. Puppy Love (1997)
96. The Merman (1997)
97. Round About 5 (1997)
98. Mr Ape (1998)
99. How Green Was My Mouse (1998)
100. The Big Pig Book (1998)
101. Creepy Creatures Bag (1998)
102. The Robber Boy (1998)
103. Pig in the City (1998)
104. Charlie Muffin’s Miracle Mouse (1999)
105. The Witch of Blackberry Bottom (1999)
106. Babe’s La-La-bye (1999)
107. The Crowstarver (1999)
108. Dinosaur School (1999)
109. Poppet (1999)
110. The Roundhill (2000)
111. Spider Sparrow (2000)
112. Just in Time (2000)
113. The Magic Carpet Slippers (2000)
114. Julius Caesar’s Goat (2000)
115. Mysterious Miss Slade (2000)
116. Billy the Bird (2000)
117. Lady Lollipop (2000)
118. Back to Front Benjy (2001)
119. The Great Sloth Race (2001)
120. Fat Lawrence (2001)
121. Funny Frank (2001)
122. Chewing The Cud (Autobiography) (2001)
123. Titus Rules! (2002)
124. Billy the Bird / All Because of Jackson (2002)
125. Story Box (2002)
126. The Golden Goose (2003)
127. Traffic (2003)
128. Clever Lollipop (2003)
129. The Adventurous Snail (2003)
130. The Nine Lives of Aristotle (2003)
131. Aristotle (2003)
132. Just Binnie (2004)
133. The Catlady (2004)
134. Under the Mishmash Trees (2005)
135. Hairy Hezekiah (2005)
136. Dinosaur Trouble (2005)
137. Nosy (2005)
138. The Mouse Family Robinson (2007)

Adaptations

1. Harry’s Mad (1993-1996): TV series based on Harry’s Mad
2. The Queen’s Nose (1995-2003): TV Series based on The Queen’s Nose
3. Babe (1995): film based on The Sheep-Pig a.k.a. Babe, the Gallant Pig
4. Babe: Pig in the City (1998): film sequel using King-Smith characters
5. The Foxbusters (1999-2000): TV cartoon loosely based on The Fox Busters
6. The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007): film based on The Water Horse

This information is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia