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My co-worker recently informed me that the Linlithgowans look down on the Bo'nessians "because they have the plague", though he didn't know whether this prejudice had any basis in fact. A quick Google later reveals:
The estates of parliament, understanding that the plague of pestilence is broken out in the town of Bo'ness where various persons are dead of that infection, and because of the resort of country people about Linlithgow, Falkirk and other places to that town this infection is likely to spread, to the great hazard of the country, unless remedy be provided, therefore the estates of parliament give full power and commission [...] to set down orders for restraining the resort of the people to that place, for providing lodges for persons infected, enclosing suspect persons, furnishing of cleansers and pressing them to do their duty and to set down penalties upon the offenders and to see the said orders and penalties put in execution and [...] commanding hereby the persons infected to keep the bounds prescribed to them by the said commissioners and not to come forth thereof without their order under the pain of death.
— Commission anent the plague in Bo'ness, Records of the Parliaments of Scotland, 22 Jan 1645
So, indeed, the Bo'nessians do have a history of plague. Although, to be fair to said people, it was quite a while ago now.
In other history news, I have been trying to verify a phrase attributed to Alfred Harmsworth (a.k.a. Lord Northcliffe, and founder of the Daily Mail) by the not-exactly-trustworthy Polly Toynbee[1]:
The Mail's founder, Lord Northcliffe said his winning formula was to give his readers "a daily hate" - and it does.
— Dacre in the dock, Polly Toynbee, The Guardian, 26 Mar 2004
Which is intriguing because, if true, it would imply that the moniker "The Daily Hate" predates the most obvious reference — the "Two minutes' hate" of Orwell's 1984. In fact, the influence could even have run in the opposite direction... 8^]
[1] Polly Effing Toynbee criticising tabloid writers for bias and inaccuracy? Pot, meet kettle.