Did You Know? - November

November 5, also known as Gunpowder Treason Day, marks the day when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, failed to blow up the House of Lords in the British Parliament in 1605. Since then, the day has been observed every year with bonfires and fireworks, in an ironic celebration of the Gunpowder Plot's failure to destroy the Parliament. When Guy Fawkes was captured guarding the explosives, he was sentenced to death, as he had committed an act of treason against the United Kingdom. However, in pop culture, Guy Fawkes has gained notoriety as a symbol of anarchism after the release of Alan Moore's V for Vendetta, where the titular character, V, dons a Guy Fawkes mask and attempts a revolution. Since then, the popularised Guy Fawkes mask has been adopted by anti-government groups, as well becoming the face for the famous online hacktivist group, Anonymous.