July 5 in Scottish History

On 5 July 1530 Border reiver, John Armstrong of Gilnockie, and 50 of his men were hanged for blackmail by James V. Armstrong was a well-known laird in the Borders area, and although a frequent marauder in England, he is not known to have attacked in Scotland. However, his wealth and power in a troublesome region brought the resentment of James V. Armstrong was tricked into attending a royal hunt only to be seized on his arrival. He faced the king, and volubly remonstrated with him that he had "asked grace at a graceless face." Legend has it that the trees at Carnlanrig, where Armstrong and his followers were hanged, withered, and none have grown there since.

Today in 1820, William Rankine, the engineer and physicist, was born. Rankine is noted for his work in thermodynamics. He devised the 'Rankine Cycle', a theoretical ideal process for the operation of turbines and steam engines, in which a condensing vapour is the working fluid. He served as the first President of the Institute of Engineers in Scotland.

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