Guy Fawkes Day

Today, the Fifth of November, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated in England. Fawkes, a Catholic, attempted to assassinate King James I, a Protestant, by blowing up the English Parliament. Fawkes might have succeeded had not a few co-conspirators gotten squeamish and told authorities of the barrels of gunpowder in the basement of Parliament. Arrests were quick and Fawkes was taken to the Tower of London where he was tortured in confession and then executed the following day. The Fifth of November became a national holiday with fireworks and effigies of Fawkes burned on bonfires.