Short answers, pulled from the story.
Edinburgh's name derives from Din Eidyn, meaning the hillfort of Eidyn in Cumbric, the Brittonic Celtic language formerly spoken in the region. As the language shifted from Cumbric to Northumbrian Old English and then to Scots, the Brittonic word for a fort was replaced by the Old English "burh," producing Edinburgh. The meaning of "Eidyn" itself is unknown.
Auld Reekie is Scots for Old Smoky, a name given to Edinburgh because of the persistent cloud of smoke and reek that hung over the Old Town from its many household fires. The 19th-century historian Robert Chambers traced the sobriquet no further back than the reign of King Charles II, attributing it to a Fife laird named Durham of Largo who used the smoke rising above Edinburgh as a bedtime signal for his children.
Edinburgh has been recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century. The French chronicler Jean Froissart described it as the capital of Scotland around 1365, and King James III, who reigned from 1451 to 1488, referred to it as "the principal burgh of our kingdom." The royal burgh itself was founded by King David I in the early 12th century.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest performing arts festival, which began as a programme of marginal acts alongside the official Edinburgh International Festival. In 2023, over 3,700 different shows were staged across 300 venues in the city. The Fringe is particularly known for comedy, and many comedians have received their first significant break there through the Edinburgh Comedy Award.
The University of Edinburgh was established by royal charter in 1583, founded originally as Tounis College after Edinburgh's town council received the charter from King James VI and I in 1582. It is the fourth oldest university in Scotland, after St Andrews, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, and was placed 16th in the QS World University Rankings for 2022.
In 1766, Edinburgh's Town Council held a major urban planning competition, which was won by James Craig, a 27-year-old architect. His plan imposed a rigid, ordered grid on land to the north of the castle, with George Street as the principal street flanked by Princes Street and Queen Street. The street names were chosen deliberately to honour the Hanoverian monarch George III and his family, reaffirming the city's loyalty to the Union. The Old Town and New Town together were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.