Francis Tresham (c. 1567 – 1605) was one of the English provincial Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a conspiracy to assassinate King James I. Having previously been imprisoned for his role in a failed rebellion and involved in missions to Spain that sought support for persecuted English Catholics, Tresham joined the Gunpowder Plot in October 1605. Its leader Robert Catesby asked him to provide a large sum of money and the use of Rushton Hall, but Tresham apparently provided neither, instead giving a small amount of money to fellow plotter Thomas Wintour. Tresham also expressed his concern that two of his brothers-in-law would be killed if the plot succeeded. An anonymous letter delivered to one of them was handed to Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, and was decisive in foiling the conspiracy. Historians suspect that Tresham wrote it, although this is unproven. Catesby and Wintour thought that Tresham was the author and threatened to kill him, but he convinced them otherwise. Tresham was arrested on 12 November and confined in the Tower of London, where he died of natural causes the following month; his confession did not mention the letter.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Tresham
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1838:
The collapse of the Federal Republic of Central America began with Nicaragua seceding from the union. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Republic_of_Central_America
1916:
An armed confrontation in Everett, Washington, US, between local authorities and members of the Industrial Workers of the World resulted in seven deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everett_massacre
1950:
Korean War: The 27th British Commonwealth Brigade succeeded in preventing a Chinese break-through at Pakchon in the Battle of Pakchon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pakchon
1983:
Five workers on the Byford Dolphin semi-submersible oil rig were killed in an explosive decompression while drilling in the Frigg gas field in the North Sea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byford_Dolphin
2003:
American serial killer Gary Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of first degree murder. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Ridgway
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
unit: 1. An organized group comprising people and/or equipment. 2. (sciences) A standard measure of a quantity. 3. (commerce) An item which may be sold singly. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unit
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
I shall earnestly and persistently continue to urge all women to the practical recognition of the old revolutionary maxim, that "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God." --Susan B. Anthony https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony