The mark of the Scots

by Duncan A. Bruce

"Here is an entertaining celebration of the achievements of people of Scottish descent. Scottish accomplishments throughout history in every field of endeavor-from science to the arts to politics to exploration-rival those of the largest ethnic groups. Even though fewer than one half of one percent of the people of the world can claim Scottish ancestry, Scots have certainly made their mark: almost eleven percent of all the Nobel Prizes ever awarded have involved Scots and their descendants, and more than seventy-five percent of all American presidents have had Scottish ancestors. Famous world figures of Scottish descent include people as diverse as Elizabeth Taylor and John D. Rockerfeller; Edvard Grieg and Winston Churchill; Sir Laurence Olivier and Immanuel Kant; Charles de Gaulle and Walt Disney. And many of the world's most important inventions and scientific discoveries, including television, the telephone, penicillin, and electric lighting, were created by the Scots and their des