McGongall’s fascination with dates is legendary, but how are they spread through the year? The list below shows those days of the year when ’twas on this day that something happened in a McGonagall poem. As you’ll see, on some days you have a choice of events to “remember for a very long time”.
Only those events where a date is explicitly given in the poem are listed (with the notable exception of the Tay Bridge Disaster, which couldn’t be left out). Note that the dates shown are those given in the poem, even if they’re (occasionally) wrong!
January
- 1st
- The Ashantee War, The Fall of Coomassie (1874)
- 4th
- An All Night Sea Fight (1795)
- 5th
- The Battle of Corunna (1809)
- 8th
- The Wreck of the “Indian Chief” (1881)
- 11th
- The Wreck Of The Steamer “London”, While on her way to Australia (1866)
- 17th
- The Death of the Rev. Dr. Wilson (1888)
- 22nd
- The Death of the Queen (1901)
February
- 5th
- The Funeral of the Late Prince Henry of Battenberg (1896)
- 9th
- Lines in Praise of the University of St. Andrews Liberal Association Annual Dinner (1894)
- 20th
- The Battle of Gujrat (1849)
- 28th
- The Relief of Ladysmith (1900)
March
- 1st
- The Burning of the Ship “Kent” (1825)
- 2nd
- The Kessack Ferry-Boat Fatality (1894)
- 16th
- The Funeral of the German Emperor (1888)
- 21st
- The Battle of Alexandria, or the Reconquest of Egypt (1801)
- 22nd
- The Rebel Surprise Near Tamai (1885)
- 31st
- Lines in Memoriam Regarding the Entertainment I Gave on the 31st March, 1893, in Reform Street Hall, Dundee (1893)
April
- 1st
- The Wreck of the Whaler “Oscar” (1813)
- 5th
- The Siege of Seringapatam (1799)
- 8th
- The Battle of Atbara (1898)
- 10th
- The Battle of Toulouse (1814)
- 12th
- The Death of Prince Leopold (1884)
- 16th
- The Battle of Culloden (1746)
May
- 10th
- Lines in Praise of the Arbroath Oddfellows (1893)
- 12th
- The Newport Railway (1879)
- 13th
- The Battle of Langside (1558)
- 18th
- The Death of Fred Marsden, the American Playwright (1888)
The Relief of Mafeking (1900) - 19th
- The Burial of Mr Gladstone (1898)
- 21st
- The Execution of James Graham, Marquis of Montrose (1650)
- 25th
- The New North Bridge Ceremonials (1896)
- 27th
- The Wreck of the “Abercrombie Robinson” (1842)
June
- 5th
- Lord Roberts’ Triumphal Entry into Pretoria (1900)
- 8th
- The Disastrous Fire at Scarborough (1898)
- 18th
- The Battle of Waterloo (1815)
- 20th
- The Edinburgh Lifeboat Procession (A Fragment) (1896)
- 21st
- The Albion Battleship Calamity (1898)
- 22nd
- Farewell Address at the Argyle Hall, Tuesday, June 22, 1880 (1880)
The Loss of the Victoria (1893)
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations (1897)
July
- 6th
- The Horse Parade, or Demonstration in respect of the Royal Wedding (1893)
- 8th
- The Hero of Kalapore (1857)
- 14th
- An Excursion Steamer Sunk in the Tay (1888)
- 24th
- The Death of Captain Webb (1883)
- 27th
- The Last Berkshire Eleven, The Heroes of Maiwand (1880)
August
- 9th
- The Coronation of King Edward the VII (1902)
- 10th
- The Burning of the Steamer “City of Montreal” (1886)
- 18th
- The Battle of the Nile (1798)
- 22nd
- The Queen at the International Exhibition, Glasgow (1888)
- 25th
- The Royal Review (1881)
- 26th
- The Battle of Cressy (1346)
September
- 2nd
- The Dundee Flower Show (1886)
The Battle of Omdurman (1898) - 5th
- Burning of the Exeter Theatre (1887)
Lines in Praise of the Lyric Club Banquet (1894) - 6th
- A Requisition To The Queen (1877)
- 9th
- The Battle of Flodden Field (1513)
- 13th
- The Battle of Tel-el-Kebir (1882)
- 20th
- The Great Franchise Demonstration (1884)
- 24th
- The Life-Boat Demonstration (1892)
- 28th
- The Great Yellow River Inundation In China (1887)
The Inauguration Of The Talla Water Scheme (1895) - 30th
- The Burning of the People’s Variety Theatre, Aberdeen (1896)
October
- 5th
- The Inauguration of the University College, Dundee (1883)
- 14th
- The Miraculous Escape of Robert Allan, the Fireman (1888)
The Wreck of the Steamer “Mohegan” (1898) - 16th
- The Heatherblend Club Banquet (1894)
- 29th
- Royal Visit of the Princess Louise and the Marquis of Lorne (1892)
November
- 5th
- The Battle of Inkermann (1854)
- 10th
- The Battle of Sheriffmuir (1715)
- 12th
- The Black Watch Memorial (1887)
- 17th
- The Terrific Cyclone of 1893 (1893)
- 19th
- Saving a Train [Version 1] (1869)
The Funeral of the Late Ex-Provost Rough, Dundee (1888) - 20th
- The Storming of the Dargai Heights (1897)
- 23rd
- The Foundering of the Steamer “Spree”, While on her way to New York (1892)
- 26th
- Wreck of the Schooner “Samuel Crawford” (1886)
December
- 1st
- The Death of Lord and Lady Dalhousie (1887)
- 5th
- The Military Review by Lord Wolseley (1896)
- 15th
- The Tragic Death of the Rev. A. H. Mackonochie (1887)
- 25th
- Calamity in London (1897)
- 28th
- The Tay Bridge Disaster (1879)
