This Day in History: 1605-11-05

Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night

Declared a day of national celebration by the English government in 1605 to commemorate the foiling of the gunpowder plot. Guido Fawkes (as he liked to be called) and his fellow conspirators were stopped in their attempt to blow up the English parliament having stacked barrels of gunpowder in the cellars. Commemorations are still carried out with the tradition of burning an effigy of Guy Fawkes on and bonfire and letting off fireworks.