Did you know that the first official Edinburgh Tattoo took place over half a century ago in 1950? In all that time, not a single performance of the Tattoo has ever been cancelled (unlike some other, much more recent annual festivities). The Tattoo has always been staged at Edinburgh Castle - the second most visited ancient monument in Britain (after The Tower of London). The word 'tattoo' comes from the old Dutch term for turning off the beer taps at the end of the night, 'Doe den tap toe'. Little reason for celebration, one would have thought. More than 11 million people have attended the Tattoo - that's more than twice the current population of Scotland.