On this day in 1566 King James VI was born.

The only son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Lord Darnley, James acceded to the throne at the age of one, after his mother was forced to abdicate. He was tutored by George Buchanan, a firm Protestant and one of the sharpest minds in Scotland. James was a master diplomat and courted favour in England until he emerged as the main challenger to inherit the English crown on Elizabeth's death. After gaining the English kingdom, James left Edinburgh and only returned once to Scotland.

On 19 June, 1861 Earl Haig was born in Edinburgh. Haig spent a distinguished career in the military, rising through the ranks of the 7th Hussars until eventually becoming C-in-C of British forces in 1915.

Haig's tactics during the First World War have been called into question as being unimaginative and wasteful of soldiers' lives, and Haig himself cited his own despair at the casualties lost as the main reason for his work in founding the British Legion and instituting the Poppy Day appeal.

On 19 June 1937 J M Barrie, the Scottish playwright and novelist, died.

Although a prolific writer, Barrie is principally remembered today for his classic children's story, Peter Pan. Other notable Barrie works include the prose work A Window in Thrums and the play The Admirable Crichton.

Today's recipe: fed up with limp and tasteless salads? This feta and pomegranate dish is an appetising replacement.