On this day in 1905, Jim Mollison, the pioneering Scottish aviator, was born.

Mollison held many individual records for distance, endurance, and speed flying, and jointly set several others with his wife, the aviatrix Amy Johnson. In 1932, he became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from East to West. In the same year, his wife broke his record for the fastest flight from London to Cape Town.

On 19 April 1824, Lord Byron, the Scottish aristocrat and Romantic poet, died in Greece. Byron inherited the title of 6th Baron Byron in 1798. He grew up in Aberdeen and attended Aberdeen Grammar School, and always considered himself a Scot. He met his death fighting for Greek independence, although he never actually faced the enemy, instead falling victim to fever at Missolonghi.

Today's recipe: a traditional Russian sponge, suitable for vegetarians. Russian sharlotka