Remember, Remember the Fifth of November

Since this blog has tendencies toward anglophilia, and its writer holds a degree in history, here's a history lesson.

Today is Guy Fawkes Day. In 1605, Fawkes was involved with the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt by a group of Catholics to blow up the House of Lords in Parliament, killing King James I, his family and other aristocrats. The plot to bring down the Protestant monarchy was discovered, and Fawkes and his co-conspirators were tortured and killed.

Initially Fawkes was lambasted as a terrorist, and was an example of why Britons needed to better protect their country. But today he's considered a martyr against an oppressive government and people in Britain celebrate Guy Fawkes Day with bonfires.

Here's a great article about Guy Fawkes Day in Harper's Magazine.