9 April 1938 - You Know, I Think It's Going To Catch On

On 9 April 1938, England hosted Scotland at Wembley for the first match to be shown live on television in its entirety.

The BBC expanded from radio into television in 1936. But for the first several months, the only football they showed included a recording of Arsenal's 1936-37 season opener against Everton and a short live exhibition in September 1937 between Arsenal's first team and reserves.

For their first full live match, the BBC chose the final game of the 1938 British Home Championship, played at Wembley Stadium. The outcome was irrelevant, as England had already taken the honors; their wins over Ireland and Wales left them with four points, while Scotland had managed only a single point after a draw with Ireland and a loss to Wales (those other two teams had ended their campaigns three weeks earlier and were behind England in the standings).

Nevertheless, a packed house turned out for the match and saw Scotland take an early lead with a strike from inside forward Tommy Walker, which turned out to be the only goal of the day.

Live broadcasts continued, with the next one being the FA Cup Final between Huddersfield Town and Preston North End the following month.

12 March 1881 - His Selection Was Elementary

On 12 March 1881, Queen's Park fullback Andrew Watson became the world's first black international footballer when he received his first cap for Scotland.

Born in British Guiana as the son of a Scottish sugar planter, Watson (pictured, center) enrolled at the University of Glasgow where his studies included math and engineering. While there, he developed a love of football.

He first played for Maxwell FC, then Parkgrove FC and, eventually, Queen's Park (he also served as a club administrator for the latter two) . While at Queen's Park, he earned high accolades, with the 1880-81 Scottish Football Association Annual calling him "one of the very best backs we have; since joining Queen's Park has made rapid strides to the front as a player; has great speed and tackles splendidly; powerful and sure kick; well worthy of a place in any representative team."

He got his first call-up to the national team for a friendly against England, captaining Scotland in their 6-1 win. He earned two other caps in his career; both were victories as well.

After retiring in 1887 after spells with Swifts, Corinthians, and a second stint at Queen's Park, Watson moved to Australia, remaining there until his death in 1902.

8 March 1873 - We'll Go Ahead And Call It Evinced, Then

On 8 March 1873, England and Scotland met for just the second time, with both teams getting their first goals. Unfortunately for Scotland, England got more of them.

After playing to a scoreless draw in Glasgow the previous November, the teams held a rematch in London at the Surrey Cricket Ground, better known as The Oval. The Scots were led by Queen's Park goalkeeper Robert Gardner, while England were also captained by their goalkeeper, Crystal Palace's Alexander Morten. (At 41 years, 113 days old, Morten remains the English record-holder for oldest debutant and oldest captain.)

Playing before a crowd of 3,000 people, England adopted a slightly more defensive formation for the match, abandoning their previous 1-2-7 for the 2-2-6 used by Scotland. Even so, they scored the opening goal, with William Kenyon-Slaney netting in the first minute. Alexander Bonsor doubled the lead nine minutes later, but Scotland drew level with goals from Henry Renny-Tailyour (12') and William Gibb (20').

The Scots tired in the game's latter stages, however, and conceded another goal to Kenyon-Slaney (60'), followed by one more to Charley Chenery (75') to end the day as a 4-2 win for England.

The subsequent match report said "If any proof were necessary to evince the growing popularity of the winter game of wielders of the willow, there was sufficient evidence on this occasion to convince the most sceptical that football, if only aided by fine weather, is a game that could take its place among the leading pastimes of the day."

[For additional details on the match, visit http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1872-00/1872-73/M0002Sco1873.html.]

23 February 1901 - This One Went To Eleven

On 23 February 1901, Scotland opened the British Home Championship by recording their biggest-ever victory. And they still didn't win the tournament.

Ireland arrived at Celtic Park in Glasgow that day to face the defending champions, but were completely unprepared for awaited them, as Scotland racked up 11 goals on the day--four from Celtic's Sandy McMahon (pictured), four from Rangers' Robert Hamilton, two from Celtic's John Campbell, and, for good measure, one from former Preston North End Invincible David Russell. Meanwhile, the Irish team were unable to breach the Scottish defense, so the match ended 11-0.

It was Scotland's biggest win, but it wasn't Ireland's worst result, as they had been beaten 13-0 by England in 1882.

Scotland went on to draw their next two matches with Wales and England to finish as tournament runners-up (England won). Ireland finished last, losing all three matches.

7 December 1997 - The Passing Of A Leeds Legend

On 7 December 1997, former Leeds United captain Billy Bremner died after being hospitalized for pneumonia. He was 54 years old.

Born in the Scottish city of Stirling, Bremner joined Leeds United in 1959 at the age of 17 and played there for 18 seasons. He became a regular starter in just his second season and helped them earn promotion to the top flight in 1964 under manager Don Revie.

He played with an intensity and toughness that belied his small stature (he was 5' 5"), earning the respect of teammates and opponents alike. In 1966, he took over as captain and pushed Leeds to domestic and European heights, winning the League Cup (1968), FA Cup (1972), two league titles (1969, 1974), and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups (1968, 1971), while also reaching the finals of the European Cup (1975) and Cup Winners' Cup (1973). His career was not without controversy, however, as he developed a reputation for dirty play and once received a suspension for fighting with Liverpool's Kevin Keegan.

By the time he left Elland Road in 1976, he had made 772 appearances for the club, only one match behind their all-time leader, Jack Charlton. He moved to Hull City briefly (1976-79), then joined Doncaster Rovers (1979-81) as player-manager. He returned to Leeds in 1985 as manager, then moved back to Doncaster in 1989 and retired in 1991.

In December 1997, he contracted pneumonia, then died of a suspected heart attack just two days short of his 55th birthday.

24 September 1962 - The Rise Of The Super Ranger

On 24 September 1962, two-time European Golden Boot winner and current Rangers boss Ally McCoist was born in Bellshill, Scotland.

The striker, nicknamed "Super Ally," started his professional career in 1979 with St. Johnstone. He had a breakout season in 1980-81, scoring 22 goals in 38 league appearances, which led to a move to Sunderland. But after two unsuccessful seasons there, he returned to Scotland, signing with Rangers in 1983 for a fee of £185,000.

Rangers hadn't won the league since 1978, but with McCoist contributing 34 goals, they won it in 1987 and followed that one with nine straight between 1989 and 1997. In both 1992 and 1993, McCoist matched his tally of 34 league goals, winning the European Golden Boot for both seasons. Along the way, McCoist also won nine Scottish League Cups and the 1992 Scottish Cup. While at Rangers, he made 61 appearances for Scotland, where his 19 goals rank him fifth on their list of all-time scorers.

His played the last three seasons of his career for Kilmarnock (1998-2001), then moved into management. In 2004, he served under Scotland manager Walter Smith, then moved with Smith back to Rangers in January 2007. Upon Smith's retirement in 2011, McCoist took the reins for the 2011-12 season and currently has the team on the top of table after an emphatic 4-2 victory over Celtic gave them six wins and a draw in their first seven matches.

14 September 1901 - The Man Who Lit The Fuse

On 14 September 1901, Arsenal legend Alex James was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland. A deep-lying playmaker, he guided the Gunners to their first major trophy.

An inside forward, James began his professional career in 1922 with Raith Rovers, making 98 league appearances before moving to Preston North End in 1925. In four seasons at Deepdale, he scored 53 goals in 147 league appearances. But disputes over his pay and the club's refusal to release him for international duty with Scotland prompted his move to Arsenal in 1929 for a transfer fee of £8,750.

Although Arsenal, like Preston, were restricted by the maximum weekly wage of £8, they supplemented James's salary by landing a position for him at a London department store as a "sports demonstrator" for £250 per year. He repaid the club by helping them win the 1930 FA Cup, scoring the first goal in a 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town in the final.

At Highbury, James flourished as the primary playmaker, playing a critical role in the club's first title-winning season in 1930-31. Additional titles followed in 1933, 1934, and 1935, making Arsenal the period's most dominant side. They won another FA Cup in 1936 and four Charity Shields with James before he retired 1937.

After serving in World War II, he returned to Arsenal as a youth coach in 1949. He died of cancer in 1953 at the age of 51.

13 June 1986 - A Red In Record Time

On 13 June 1986, Uruguay defender José Batista set a World Cup record. Unfortunately, it was a record for fastest ejection, coming after only 56 seconds.

That day, Uruguay met Scotland in the last group stage match for both teams, with a place in the knockout rounds at stake. Uruguay needed only a draw to advance, while Scotland had to win.

The Scots got a lucky break in the first minute, as Batista received a straight red for a rash challenge on Gordon Strachan. Strachan had just received a throw-in when Batista came barreling in behind him, collapsing him like a rag doll. The ensuing red card earned Batista a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for fastest ejection in a World Cup match and also helped him claim the 14th spot in a 2007 Times list of football's 50 greatest hard men. Strachan, meanwhile, was able to continue playing after treatment.

The challenge set the tone for the match, which saw five yellow cards (three for Uruguay, two for Scotland) and no goals. It ended scoreless, which sent Uruguay through to the Round of 16, where they lost to Argentina.

Batista continued to play for Uruguay until 1993, making a total of 14 appearances.

4 June 1986 - Experience Can Be Overrated

On 4 June 1986, Denmark made their first appearance in the World Cup, joining Scotland, Uruguay, and West Germany in tournament's "Group of of Death."

Two years earlier, the Danes had impressed the international footballing community by advancing to the European Championship semifinals where they narrowly lost to Spain on penalty kicks, 1-1 (5-4). Still, they were considered to many to be underdogs of their World Cup group, which included two-time champions West Germany (1954, 1974) and Uruguay (1930, 1950), as well as Scotland, who were making their fourth consecutive appearance--and sixth overall--in the tournament.

But Denmark proved to be the surprise of the tournament, opening their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Scotland (who, in fairness, were still reeling over the death of their previous manager, Jock Stein, from a heart attack the previous December). The only goal came in the 57th minute, as striker Preben Elkjær received the ball on the left edge of the box, beat a defender, and rifled the ball past keeper Jim Leighton. It struck the far post and rebounded into the net.

It was a redemptive goal for Elkjær, who missed penalty in the Euro '84 shootout gave Spain the win. He followed it with a hat-trick in Denmark's next match, a 6-1 demolition of Uruguay. Denmark went on to win the group with a 2-0 win over West Germany and advanced to the Round of 16. There, their good fortune ended, as they faced their old enemy Spain and lost 5-1.

4 April 1936 - Walker Beats The Wind

On 4 April 1936, Scotland claimed the British Home Championship with a late penalty kick against England at Wembley. And it took three tries.

Played before a crowd of 93,267, it was the last match of the tournament and the stakes were high; a win for either side would deliver the title, while Scotland could also win it with a draw. The hosts went ahead at the half-hour mark with a goal from striker George Camsell (playing in the seventh of his nine matches for England; he scored in all nine).

England held on desperately to the slim lead, but, in the 75th minute, captain Eddie Hapgood conceded a penalty. Scotland's 20-year old inside forward, Tommy Walker (pictured), volunteered to take the kick. He twice placed the ball on the spot only to see it twice blown away by the wind. With the stadium virtually silent, Walker again placed the ball, then coolly slotted it home.

The match ended as a 1-1 draw to give Scotland their 26th championship and first solely-held title since 1929.

26 March 1986 - Scotland's Only Centurion

On 26 March 1986, Liverpool striker Kenny Dalglish won his 100th cap for Scotland in a 3-0 win over Romania. To date, he is the only player to reach that milestone for the Scottish national team.

He received his first call-up in November 1971, coming on as a substitute in a Euro '72 qualifying victory over Belgium. Although it took him over a year to get his first goal, he eventually scored 30 times for Scotland to match the record set by Denis Law.

Against Romania, manager Alex Ferguson gave the armband Dalglish, his seventh and last time to captain the national team. Scotland's starting XI included nine future managers, including two--Dalglish and midfielder Graeme Souness--who went on to take charge of Liverpool. Dalglish also managed Celtic during his career, as did another teammate of his that day, midfielder Gordon Strachan.

Strachan opened the day's scoring in the 18th minute and was followed shortly by defender Richard Gough (27'). Gough's partner in defense, Roy Aitken, added the third in the 81st minute, his only goal in 57 appearances for Scotland.

Dalglish, meanwhile, went on to earn two more Scottish caps before retiring from the national team later that year.

26 January 1884 - Great Scots

On 26 January 1884, Ireland hosted the very first British Home Championship match, losing 0-5 to eventual winners Scotland.

The previous year, the football associations of the four British Home Nations--England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales--agreed to formalize their regular internationals in an annual tournament. They decided that each of the four members would play single matches against the other three, earning two points for a win and one point for a draw, with the champions being the team with the most points at the end.

The format for the new tournament called for Ireland to play their three matches first, so they welcomed Scotland to Ballynafeigh Park in Belfast for the inaugural match. It wasn't much of a contest, as the Scots rolled to victory with a goal from John Goudie and two each from James Gossland and William Harrower (despite the performance, it was Gossland's only cap for Scotland).

Ireland followed the match with further losses to Wales (6-0) and England (1-8), while Scotland proceeded to win both of their remaining matches (1-0 over England and 4-1 over Wales) to claim the first BHC title. It was the first of four consecutive titles for Scotland, who won the British Home Championship a total of 41 times before the competition came to an end in 1984.

10 January 2007 - Apparently, You Can Go Home Again

On 10 January 2007, Rangers confirmed the return of manager Walter Smith, who had previously led the club to a massive haul of silverware from 1991 to 1998.

Smith originally joined the Glasgow club in 1986 as an assistant to Graeme Souness. The pair provided immediate rewards, delivering the league title in their first season. When Souness left in 1991 for Liverpool, Smith stayed to take the reins and proceeded to win the league for 7 consecutive seasons, including a treble win in 1993. That success came at a price, however--in his 6 seasons in charge at Ibrox, Rangers spent £50m in transfer fees, the most of any UK club over that period.

Smith retired in May 1998, but not for long; he became Everton's manager the next month. But the successes did not follow and he was sacked after three seasons. After a brief spell as an assistant at Manchester United, the Scottish FA tapped him to lead the national team.

Meanwhile, Rangers found it difficult to fill Smith's shoes. His two immediate successors, Dick Advocaat (1998-2001) and Alex McLeish (2001-2006), both started well but soon faltered. And McLeish's replacement, Paul Le Guen, lasted only 10 months, prompting the club to send the distress call to Smith. He repaid them by returning Rangers to the top of the league in 2009 and 2010.

30 November 1872 - The First Official International

On 30 November 1872, England and Scotland played the first ever official international, which ended in a scoreless draw.

The two countries had actually played five earlier matches, with England winning three of those and the other two ending in draws, but FIFA does not consider them full internationals, as the Scottish sides were mainly limited to players based in the area surrounding London, where the matches were played.

In October 1972, the FA decided to play a match against Scotland in Glasgow "to further the interests of the Association in Scotland." There was no Scottish FA at the time, so the Scotland's oldest club, Queen's Park FC, stood in for the national team, with all players coming from that club. Nine different clubs were represented in the English side, with Oxford University having the most players at three.

Played at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, the match started after a 20-minute delay for fog. 4,000 people were there to watch, paying a ticket price of one shilling each. Scotland had the best chances of the day, with two shots hitting the crossbar (actually, a strip of tape hung between the top of the posts), but neither side managed to find he back of the net and the match ended 0-0.

19 November 2008 - Argentina Tries To Recapture The Magic

On 19 November 2008, Argentina embarked upon the new Diego Maradona era with a 1-0 victory over Scotland.

As a player, Maradona had led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup, then to the 1990 Final. His playing career ended in 1994, but he remained a near-permanent fixture in the press due to his public battles with drug use and weight gain. He had been out of professional football for over 13 years when Argentina came calling again and had no managerial experience other than a year apiece at a couple of clubs in Argentina--Mandiyú in 1994 and Racing Club in 1995.

His first match in charge of the national team was the win against Scotland, thanks to an 8th-minute goal from Maxi Rodriguez. But poor results followed, including a record 6-1 loss to Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier on 1 April 2009. Argentina eventually did qualify, prompting Maradona to instruct to his critics to "suck it." But after cruising through their first-round group, they lost 4-0 to Germany in the Round of 16.

Amid conflicting reports about his future, the AFA announced on 27 July 2010 that they would not renew his contract.

15 October 1949 - The World Cup Comes To Wales

On 15 October 1949, England and Wales met in the first World Cup qualifier for both teams, with England winning 1-4.

The English and Welsh football associations had joined FIFA in 1906, but left in 1929, along with the other British associations, over a dispute about payment of amateur players. The rift prevented all of British teams from participating in the first three World Cups. The British rejoined FIFA in 1946. Rather than have them go through a separate qualification process, FIFA used the pre-existing British Home Championship as a qualification group, with the top two finishers advancing to the World Cup.

The teams met at Ninian Park in Cardiff, with England taking an early lead with a 22nd-minute goal from Blackpool's star forward, Stan Mortensen--the first England goal in a World Cup campaign. His fellow forward, Newcastle's Jackie Milburn (pictured) then added a hat-trick (29', 34', 66') before Wales eventually got on the board with a late consolation goal from right winger Mal Griffiths.

England and Scotland finished first and second in the table to progress to the World Cup, but Scotland withdrew because the head of the Scottish FA, George Graham, felt they should participate only if they won the BHC. England participated and were famously defeated by the United States.

23 June 1998 - The Great Scottish Collapse

On 23 June 1998, Scotland exited the World Cup in disastrous fashion, losing 0-3 to Morocco in their last group stage match. In doing so, the Scots set the record for most tournament appearances without advancing out of the first round.

The two teams started the day level on one point each, both having lost to Brazil and drawn with Norway, but Morocco quickly demonstrated their intentions to separate themselves from the Scottish side. In the 22nd minute, a long pass from beyond the midfield stripe bounced in the left side of the Scots' box in front of onrushing Moroccan striker Salaheddine Bassir (pictured). Bassir took a single left-footed touch to blast the ball past keeper Jim Leighton, giving Morocco the lead.

They scored their second goal in similar fashion. In the 46th minute, an even longer pass flew over the Scottish back line into the path of striker Abdeljalil Hadda, who outraced defender David Weir to the box and fired a shot at Leighton, who had come off his line. Leighton palmed the ball up over his head, but it dropped into the goal to put Morocco up 2-0. Shortly afterward, Scotland were reduced to 10 men after midfielder Craig Burley received a straight red card for a rash tackle on Bassir. Bassir then completed the rout with an 85th-minute chip after beating defender Tom Boyd with a brilliant first touch.

The defeat stuck Scotland at the bottom of the group for their eighth first-round elimination in eight tournament appearances. Despite the result, Morocco were also eliminated, as Norway beat Brazil 2-1 to claim the group's second place.

19 May 1957 - Scots In Swiss Clothing

On 19 May 1957, Scotland defeated Switzerland 1-2 in a World Cup qualifer in Basel, but they had to do it in shirts borrowed from the Swiss.

Ordinarily, the blue shirts of the Scottish national team would have been fine, as the Swiss shirts were red. But, according to Tommy Docherty, who started in the midfield for the Scots that day, the match was televised across Europe in black and white. Without color, officials were concerned that viewers would have difficulty distinguishing between the sides. The Scots, however, had not brought a change kit, so they had to borrow Switzerland's, which used white shirts trimmed in red.

That matter settled, the Swiss took an early lead, going up 1-0 in the 13th minute with a goal from forward Roger Vonlanthen. Scotland, though, battled back against the Swiss and the progressively deteriorating weather to level the match with a 33rd-minute goal from forward Jackie Mudie (pictured). Level at the break, the Scots continued to press in the second half and were rewarded by a 71st-minute matchwinner from midfielder Bobby Collins - his first international goal.

The win put Scotland at the top of their qualification group. After two more matches (a loss to Spain and another win over the Swiss) they advanced to the World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage.

17 April 1937 - A Guinness Type Of Day (And A World Record Day, Too)

On 17 April 1937, Scotland hosted England at Glasgow's Hampden Park for the last match of the 1937 British Home Championship. The official attendance at the match was 149,415, which set a world record at the time and remains a record for European competition.

The two sides were competing for second place, as Wales had already secured the title by winning all three of its matches. Scotland and England, meanwhile, had identical records - both had 2-1 losses to Wales and 3-1 wins over Ireland. On the day, Scottish striker Bob McPhail (pictured) provided the decisive edge, scored 2 goals in the Scots' 3-1 win over the English.

The true attendance figure for the day is unknown, as a large number of people reportedly entered the stadium without paying. But the official recorded attendance of 149,415 was, at the time, the largest football crowd in world history. That number was subsequently surpassed on the last day of the 1950 World Cup, when Uruguay upset Brazil 2-1 at the Maracaña in Rio de Janeiro. FIFA recorded the official attendance for that match as 173,850, but, like the previous record, it does not include a large number of attendees who entered the stadium illegally.

The 1937 figure, however, remains the highest recorded attendance for a European match.

3 April 2009 - This "V" Is For "Vacation" (From The National Team)

On 3 April 2009, the Scottish FA announced that Scotland internationals and Rangers teammates Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor were banned from making any further national team appearances. The bans were the result of the duo's conduct over the previous week, which included a late-night drinking session after a Scotland loss to the Netherlands on 29 March and making "rude gestures" while on the bench for a match against Iceland on 1 April.

Ferguson had been a stalwart for Scotland, earning his 45th cap in the match against the Netherlands - 28 of those as captain. He was also a key player for Rangers, having played for them from 1994 to 2003, then returning at the start of the 2005-06 season when he was given the captain's armband by then-manager Alex McLeish.

McGregor, by contrast, had made only 6 appearances for Scotland before the ban. But he had played for Rangers since 2001, with a couple of loan spells in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, and had captained the club in the absence of Ferguson.

Although both players had started against the Netherlands, manager George Burley dropped them to the bench against Iceland because they had violated team rules by staying out staying past curfew. While that alone would likely not have been enough to cause their dismissal, they compounded the situation by making rude "v-signs" to the cameras during the Iceland match. Upon learning of the gestures, the SFA sent the pair home from training, then issued the ban on 3 April. Rangers also took action, suspending both players for two weeks and stripping the captaincy from Ferguson.

It may not be the end of the road for the pair, however. New Scotland manager Craig Levein has expressed his desire to select both Ferguson and McGregor, though he has not yet done so.