Kirkcaldy, Scotland—Birthplace of Adam Smith

Adam Smith was born in Kirkcaldy, in 1723, a town in Fife, Scotland.  Though a small town, Kirkcaldy is a mere ten miles north of Edinburgh, separated from it by the Firth of Forth.  By the time of Smith’s birth, Kirkcaldy had become a booming economic center due largely to its manufacturing interests in the linen industry.  It is likely that Kirkcaldy’s manufacturing institutions would have made a formative mark on Smith’s mature thinking concerning corporations and trade.