Plenty of Nothing

Anthony Fokker

Anthony Fokker made the first airplane flight in the Netherlands on August 31st, 1911. Source.

Louis Blériot

Louis Blériot made the first cross-Channel airplane flight on this date in 1909. Source.

Elinor Smith's Wheaties Box

Aviator Elinor Smith became a certified champion when she appeared on a Wheaties box in 1934. Source.

Whither Stranraer?

Cults Airfield, Stranraer, 1913. Source.

Stranraer host East Kilbride in the second leg of the pyramid playoff final.

Stranraer is the third-oldest football club in Scotland after Queen's Park and Kilmarnock. They were champions of the Wigtownshire League in 1924-25. They joined the SFL Division C South & West Section in 1949, and moved up to Division Two in 1956. They had won the Tweedie Cup ten times before joining the SFL and their reserves have won it eight times since. They won the 1996-97 Challenge Cup. They have never played in the top division.

If they get relegated they will be the fifth former SPFL club in the Lowland League.

This is East Kilbride's third stab at promotion. They were beaten by Cowdenbeath in 2017 and Cove Rangers in 2019.

East Kilbride's Andy Stirling played for Stranraer in 2013-14, 2015-16 and from 2019 to 2022. Nobody on Stranraer has played for East Kilbride, but Ben Armour played for Morton from 2017 to 2019, as did Tam Orr from 2014 to 2017.

The first leg ended in a 2 - 2 draw.

Celtic have won the Premiership.

Louis Moult is Championship player of the year. He scored four against Morton.

Pyramid playoff final, second leg:

Stranraer [3 - 1] East Kilbride

[Stranraer stay up. Now they should do like Montrose and get into League One.]

Premiership playoff semifinals:

Partick Thistle 1 - 2 Raith Rovers (May 14)

Raith Rovers 1 - 2 Partick Thistle (yesterday)

Raith win on penalty kicks and advance to the final. Partick remain in the Championship.

Championship playoff final:

Hamilton Academical 2 - 1 Inverness CT (May 15)

Inverness CT [2 - 3] Hamilton Academical

[Hamilton are promoted. ICT go down to League One for the first time since 1999.]

League One playoff final:

Dumbarton 2 - 1 Spartans (May 14)

Spartans 2 - 2 Dumbarton (yesterday)

Dumbarton earn promotion to League One.

Other matches:

Scrosoppi [1 - 1] Woodbridge Strikers

Newmains United 5 - 1 Carluke Rovers (May 15)

[Carluke finish 15th.]

UCD 3 - 3 Finn Harps (yesterday)

Sheikh Russel 1 - 1 Abahani Chittagong (yesterday)

Peebles Rovers [3 - 2] Easthouses Lily

[Peebles finish sixth.]

Dundee Violet 2 - 3 East Craigie (May 15)

East Craigie finish 7th out of 20 in the Midlands League.

Þór/KA 4 - 0 Keflavík (May 14)

Mito HollyHock [1 - 1] Oita Trinita

Sfida Setagaya [4 - 0] Speranza Osaka

ReinMeer Aomori [2 - 2] Tochigi City (tomorrow)

The West of Scotland League Premier Division is done for this season. Largs Thistle finished a commendable fifth, 7 points out of first place.

Lowland League playoff, first leg:

Dalbeattie Star (SoSL) [1 - 4] Broxburn Athletic (EoSL)

West of Scotland League champions Beith Juniors lack the necessary license to play in the Lowland League, so they're not in this playoff.

Mortonalia:

Next year's home kit is out. It has blue and white hoops.

Which Scottish League clubs have finished third most often?

Recent third-place finishers:

2023-24        Hearts

2022-23        Aberdeen

2021-22        Hearts

2020-21        Hibs

2019-20        Motherwell

2018-19        Kilmarnock

2017-18        Rangers

2016-17        Rangers

2015-16        Hearts

2014-15        Inverness CT

2013-14        Aberdeen

All-time third-place standings:

19.5        Rangers

19.5        Hearts

17.5        Celtic

17           Hibs

11           Aberdeen

10           Motherwell

  8           Dundee United

  4           Kilmarnock

  3           Clyde, Partick Thistle, St Johnstone

  2           St Mirren, Third Lanark, Morton, East Fife, Dunfermline

  1.5        Airdrieonians

  1           St Bernard's, Falkirk, Raith Rovers, Hamilton Academical, Dundee, Livingston, Inverness CT

Morton's referees, 2023-24:

2023/7/15      W    Y5    Peter Stuart

2023/7/18      W    Y2    Steven McLean

2023/7/22      L     Y1    Don Robertson

2023/7/29      W    Y2    Calum Scott

2023/8/5        W    Y3    Matthew McDermid

2023/8/12      L     Y8    David Munro

2023/8/19      L     Y3    David Dickinson

2023/8/26      L     Y2    Iain Snedden

2023/9/2        L     Y1    Graham Graiger

2023/9/9        W    Y3    Ross Hardie

2023/9/16      D     Y3    David Munro    2nd time

2023/9/23      L      Y3    Grant Irvine

2023/9/30      L      Y2    Euan Anderson

2023/10/7      D      Y3    Craig Napier

2023/10/14    W     Y3    Steven Kirkland

2023/10/28    W     Y4    Peter Stuart    2nd time

2023/10/31    L      Y4     David Dickinson

2023/11/3      L       Y4    Graham Grainger    2nd time

2023/11/11    L       Y3    Alan Muir

2023/11/18    L       R1 Y3    Ross Hardie    2nd time

2023/11/25    W      Y1    Craig Napier    2nd time

2023/12/9      W      Y3    Gavin Duncan

2023/12/12    W      Y5    Lloyd Wilson

2023/12/16    W      R1 Y3    Grant Irvine    2nd time

2023/12/23    D       Y1    Willie Collum

2023/12/30    D       Y1    Colin Steven

2024/1/2        W      Y2    Duncan Williams

2024/1/6        W      Y4    Iain Snedden    2nd time

2024/1/13      D       Y5    Craig Napier    3RD time

2024/1/20      W      Y2    Matthew MacDermid    2nd time

2024/1/27      W      Y1    Duncan Williams    2nd time

2024/2/3        W      Y1    Kevin Clancy

2024/2/9        W      Y3    John Beaton

2024/2/17      D       Y1    Steven McLean    2nd time

2024/2/24      W      Y3    Euan Anderson    2nd time

2024/2/27      D       Y3    Steven Kirkland    2nd time

2024/3/2        L        Y4    Graham Grainger    3RD time

2024/3/5        L        Y5    Lloyd Wilson    2nd time

2024/3/11      L        Y2    David Dickinson    2nd time

2024/3/16      L        Y2    Dan McFarlane

2024/3/23      L        Y3    Steven McLean    3RD time

2024/3/30      W       Y4    Chris Graham

2024/4/6        L        Y5    Don Robertson    2nd time

2024/4/9        D        Y3    Iain Snedden    3RD time

2024/4/12      L        Y3    Graham Grainger    4TH TIME

2024/4/20      W       Y2    Calum Scott    2nd time

2024/4/27      D        Y2    Colin Steven    2nd time

2024/5/3        L         R1 Y4    Craig Napier    4TH TIME

Arthurlie FC 1910-11:

1912/1/2        Johnstone 3 - 0 Arthurlie    RVCup F 2nd replay

1911/12/16    Johnstone 1 - 1 Arthurlie    RVCup F replay

1911/11/18    Johnstone 1 - 1 Arthurlie    RVCup F

1911/5/13      St Mirren No. 2  2 - 0  Arthurlie No. 1    Paisley Charity Cup (five a side)

1911/4/29      Arthurlie 7 - 1 Paisley Academical    RVCup SF leg two

1911/4/15      Arthurlie 3 - 1 Paisley Academical    RVCup SF leg one

1911/4/8        Arthurlie 1 - 4 Ayr United    SFL2

1911/4/1        Arthurlie 0 - 1 St Mirren    RCup SF

1911/3/25      East Stirlingshire 1 - 1 Arthurlie    SFL2

1911/3/18      Port Glasgow Athletic scr-wo Arthurlie    RVCup R1

1911/3/11      Vale of Leven 0 - 0 Arthurlie    SFL2

1911/3/4        Arthurlie 5 - 1 Paisley Academical    RCup R2

1911/2/25      Arthurlie 0 - 0 East Stirlingshire    SFL2

1911/2/18      St Bernard's 3 - 0 Arthurlie    SFL2

1911/2/11      Arthurlie 2 - 0 Cowdenbeath    SFL2

1911/1/28      Abercorn 1 - 0 Arthurlie    ConCup R1 2nd replay

1911/1/21      Abercorn 3 - 0 Arthurlie (protested)    ConCup R1 replay

1911/1/14      Arthurlie 1 - 1 Abercorn    ConCup R1

1911/1/7        Arthurlie 3 - 0 Port Glasgow Athletic    SFL2

1910/12/31    Dumbarton 4 - 1 Arthurlie    SFL2

1910/12/24    Leith Athletic 1 - 1 Arthurlie    SFL2

1910/12/17    Arthurlie 3 - 1 Dundee Hibs    SFL2

(1910/12/10    Arthurlie 3 - 0 Abercorn    1909-10 RVCup F)

1910/12/3      Albion Rovers 3 - 2 Arthurlie    SFL2

1910/11/26    Arthurlie 1 - 0 St Bernard's    SFL2

1910/11/19    Abercorn 2 - 0 Arthurlie    SFL2

1910/11/12    Arthurlie 1 - 3 Dumbarton    SFL2

1910/11/5      Arthurlie 2 - 0 Vale of Leven    SFL2

1910/10/29    Dundee Hibs 2 - 0 Arthurlie    SFL2

1910/10/22    Arthurlie 5 - 1 Leith Athletic    SFL2

1910/10/15    Port Glasgow Athletic 3 - 0 Arthurlie    SFL2

1910/10/8      Ayr United 2 - 0 Arthurlie    SFL2

1910/10/1      Arthurlie 1 - 1 Albion Rovers    SFL2

1910/9/24      Johnstone 3 - 1 Arthurlie    QCup R2

1910/9/21      Royal Albert 1 - 2 Arthurlie    QCup R1 3rd replay

1910/9/17      Royal Albert 0 - 0 Arthurlie    QCup R1 2nd replay

1910/9/10      Arthurlie 1 - 1 Royal Albert    QCup R1 replay

1910/9/3        Royal Albert 2 - 2 Arthurlie    QCup R1

1910/8/27      Arthurlie 2 - 1 Abercorn    SFL2

1910/8/20      Cowdenbeath 1 - 0 Arthurlie    SFL2

1910/8/15      bye    RCup R1

(Sources: London Hearts for the SFL Division Two; The Beautiful Dribbling Game for the Qualifying Cup and the Consolation Cup; Scottish Football Historical Archive for the Renfrewshire Cup and the Renfrewshire Victoria Cup; Glasgow Herald for 1911/5/13.)

Glasgow Herald, May 15, 1911, p. 13.

Joan Hughes

Joan Hughes, a World War Two ferry pilot in the Air Transport Auxiliary, had a long career as an aviator and even flew a replica Santos-Dumont Mademoiselle monoplane in the 1965 film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. Source.

Source.

Argus

Source.

First Flight in Australia

Harry Houdini made the first successful airplane flight in Australia on this date in 1910. Source.

First Airplane Flight in Venezuela

The first airplane flight in Venezuela happened September 29th, 1912 in Caracas. The pilot was Frank Boland of the Boland Airplane and Motor Company of Rahway, New Jersey. Source.

R-100 over Montreal, August 1, 1930

Source.

The Hindenberg over Halifax, Nova Scotia

On this date in 1936 the Hindenberg flew over Halifax on the way from Lakehurst, New Jersey to Frankfurt. Source. Find all the Hindenberg's flights here.