On the 5th of November every year, millions of people in the UK celebrate Bonfire Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Night or Fireworks Night. Celebrations involve letting off fireworks as well as burning bonfires, sometimes with a Guy on the top. Sometimes children will make a Guy (an effigy of a man) and ask for a penny for the Guy. This tradition appears to be disappearing but Fireworks Night is still popular.

THE PLOT
However, I wonder how many people know what they are actually "celebrating"? Guy Fawkes (Guido Fawkes) was born in 1570 and became a Catholic early in his life. After fighting abroad, Fawkes finally joined with 12 other conspirators and hatched a plot to blow up the Palace of Westminster, the Houses of Parliament and more importantly King James the First who was in Parliament at the time.

The Plot was to place gunpowder under the buildings and destroy everyone and everything.

WHAT WENT WRONG
A Catholic Peer received a letter warning him to avoid the opening of Parliament on the 5th of November 1605. It is thought that one of the conspirators wrote the letter. Unfortunately, the Peer passed the information on and at about midnight on the 4th of November the conspirators were captured laying the gunpowder.

THE "TRIAL"
Fawkes was tortured and eventually revealed the names of his fellow conspirators. 4 men (Catesby, Percy and the two Wright brothers) were killed at Holbeche House. 9 were captured, 8 of these were executed, and one (Tresham) died in prison.

THE MEMORY LIVES ON
Since then people have celebrated the 5th of November as the day that the traitors were caught and Parliament was saved from devastation.

THE CONSPIRATORS
The 13 conspirators were: Thomas Bates, Robert Catesby, Sir Everard Digby, Guy Fawkes, John Grant, Robert Keyes, Thomas Percy, Ambrose Rookwood, Francis Tresham Robert Wintour, Thomas Wintour, Jack Wright, Kit Wright.

Information source about.com