"Do you remember...?"

“Do you remember...the Fifth of November?” — John Lennon, “Remember”

Four hundred years ago today, Guy Fawkes and collaborators attempted unsuccessfully to blow up the English Houses of Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder.

On January 31, 1606, Fawkes and others implicated in the plot were taken to Old Palace Yard in Westminster, where all but Fawkes were hanged, drawn, and quartered. Fawkes jumped from a ladder while climbing to the hanging platform, breaking his neck and dying instantly.

Guy Fawkes appeared on the 2002 “List of 100 Great Britons,” sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public. He was listed alongside Winston Churchill, Aleister Crowley, and Johnny Rotten.

Have a happy Guy Fawkes Day, everyone!

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