On this day in 1954 the writer Iain Banks was born in Dunfermline, Fife.

His first novel, The Wasp Factory, established him as one of the most distinctive voices in Scottish literature. His 1996 novel, The Crow Road, spawned a very successful television adaptation. Banks is also a highly regarded science fiction writer under the name Iain M. Banks.

Today in 1746 Government forces under Lord Louden attempted to capture Prince Charles Edward Stewart at Moy Hall.

The plan was unsuccessful as the Hanoverians were surprised and routed by a handful of Jacobites. The only death in the Rout of Moy was Duncan Bam MacCrimmon, Hereditory Piper to the MacLeods of Dunvegan, who took the Hanoverian side in the '45.

Scots poet and novelist George Mann MacBeth died on this day in 1992. He is best known for his futuristic thriller the Testament of Spencer, set in a united Ireland.

Today's recipe: a warming, creamy soup using in-season seafood. Clam chowder and potatoes.