On the 21st April, 1940, George Barnes, the Scottish Socialist statesman, died.

One of the founders of the Labour Party, he served in Lloyd George's wartime coalition government, but resigned from the Labour Party rather than obey the party line in 1918. Barnes represented Britain at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, and was primarily responsible for the establishment of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as an agency of the League of Nations.

Today in 1838, John Muir, the Scottish-born American naturalist, was born.

Muir was responsible for the creation of Yosemite and Sequoia national parks in California. The 550-acre Muir Woods National Monument is named after him.

Today's recipe: a clever trick ensures this classic American baked cheesecake is easy to make.