Today in 1766 saw the birth of Charles Macintosh, the inventor of waterproof clothing, in Glasgow.

He created the first rainproof cloth in 1818 by joining two sheets of fabric together with dissolved rubber. Although Macintosh is best known for the coat, for the naming of which a "k" was added, he also made significant advances in many fields of chemistry. As well as inventing a revolutionary bleaching powder with Charles Tennant, he discovered a fast method of using carbon gases to convert iron to steel, and devised a hot-blast process which produced high quality cast iron.

On this day in 1809 William Ewart Gladstone, the British Prime Minister, was born. Though born in Liverpool, both his parents were Scottish and he always considered himself a Scot. He served a record 61 years in the House of Commons, becoming Prime Minister on no less than four occasions, the last at the age of 82. He was a gifted speaker, and in a famous election campaign in Midlothian in 1879 an estimated 20,000 people heard Gladstone speak.

Today's recipe: indulge yourself with a warming capercaillie cocktail.