> On the fifth of November, *mumble*teen-hundred and *cough*...

1605. Don't tell me you didn't know that...

> ...a group of people tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Guy was one of them, and was somewhat unfortunately caught in the act and executed. Since then, we have celebrated it by burning him in effigy. Hence the huge fire and explosion-based tomfoolery.
>
> Now, that's all well and good, right? Well, most Brits probably haven't given it much thought. But we will be celebrating a failed terrorist attack on one of our national monuments. It will be interesting to see how firework sales are affected this year.

Just for the record, we're *not* celebrating the fact that someone tried to blow up the houses of Parliament while James I (of England; James VI of Scotland) was opening it. We're celebrating the fact that the plot failed, and the conspirators were executed for their crime.

Guy Fawkes earns himself prominance by having been the person found hiding in the basement with the barrels of gunpowder and the flint and steel.

winter"This has been a public service announcement"mute