Can You Crush This Explosive Guy Fawkes Quiz?

Guy Fawkes was part of a conspiracy to blow up the Houses of Parliament in England, the seat of British government. These days, that would make him a home-grown terrorist.

The main reason people conspired to blow up Parliament was that Catholics were repressed in England, which was officially Protestant. Anti-Catholic laws were in place, and priests were told to leave the country.

Fawkes knew that his death was going to be very bloody and painful. He was to be ripped apart while still alive! So at the first opportunity, he committed suicide by leaping to his death. They still tore his body apart, though.

V for Vendetta borrows heavily from the Guy Fawkes story. The character V wears a version of Fawkes' clothes, and wears a stylized mask that makes him look like Fawkes. And yes, V blew up Parliament.

Although the use of the Guy Fawkes mask blew up with V for Vendetta and other pop culture references, it was noticeably used by political protesters, and as a mask for violent political actions. Anonymous can also be said to use it as a form of protest.

The plot to blow up Parliament eventually became known as the Gunpowder Plot. It should be noted that this sort of thing happens with regular frequency in history, as religion and royalty have always been serious issues in England.

Some observers point out that the idea of bonfire celebrations may have had a big boost in the celebrations of the Gunpowder Plot. It should be noted that in modern times, it's more of a celebration in itself, and not so much hating on Guy Fawkes and Catholics.

Children and young people would bring around a dummy of Guy Fawkes and ask for funds for the night's celebration. The money would be used for firecrackers, firewood, and other materials for the celebrations.

Members of Anonymous, or people who want to be identified as Anonymous, usually wear Fawkes masks. They also use that symbol as their calling card. This may be influenced, in part, by the movie version of V for Vendetta.

Julian Assange has worn the Guy Fawkes mask. This is only fitting, as his information leaks can be seen as terror weapons in their effect.

Guy Fawkes was tasked with setting off the explosives. That meant he had to sneak into the cellar underneath the house, set the explosives to blow, and leave. He was caught redhanded.

Because the conspiracy was an attack by Catholics against the very Protestant British monarchy, the Catholic pope was also, at times, burned in the bonfires. Religion and politics are strange bedfellows sometimes.

Apparently, the thought of so many people dying by explosion got into someone's conscience. A letter was sent to a member of the nobility, and this tipped off government forces.

Thirteen other people were involved in the dynamite plot. Fawkes wasn't even the leader, and yet, he's now its most visible figure. Go figure!

Before Parliament opens every year, the guards search everywhere on the premises to see if any terrorists may be hiding something. This is now mostly a ritual.

It took two days of torture to make Fawkes confess more details about the conspiracy. That feat was impressive enough for the king to admire him a bit.

The ultimate goal of the conspiracy would have been a Catholic England, since many of the influential Protestant figures would have died in the explosion. Chief among them would be the King of England, James I.

The term comes from a time when people who were not allowed to be buried on holy ground were burned in fires. The term, then, probably started as "bone fires," and later became bonfires.

The second part of the plan was to support the ascension of the king's daughter, Elizabeth, to the throne. She was seen as more willing to support pro-Catholic actions, or at least she would be a usable puppet queen.

For a celebrated villain, Guy Fawkes has an island named after him. It is located in the Galapagos Islands, near Santa Cruz Island.

Guy Fawkes was actually born a Protestant. He converted to Catholicism in his later years. This may have been influenced by his stepfather and grandparents.

As the November 5th celebrations developed, they became less a celebration of the monarchy, and more about how individual freedom and the state are always an issue. In other words: freedom! Of course, for some, it's always a great excuse to party.

Guy Fawkes was a soldier in other wars before he came back to England. It's probably why he was the one tasked to light the match, so to speak, for the explosives.

The original basement has been destroyed. Ironically, it was during a fire that gutted the Houses of Parliament.

Guy's name is the root for our term "guy." It used to mean someone who was ugly and disgusting. But over time, the meaning softened, and it became a generic term for a man.

Originally, dummies were burned in the fire to drive away evil spirits. This is probably similar to how witches burned dummies based on people, to make their spells work.

For the longest time, people said it would have blown the House to smithereens. However, some researchers now agree that the dynamite used wasn't the best, and only some damage would have been done. The question of the blast killing all the intended victims is still up in the air, though.

King James had in his blood the royal lines of Scotland and England. This would eventually lead to the formation of the United Kingdom (UK). As can be expected, there were some very unhappy people who were more than willing to get rid of him.

Guy Fawkes spent some time fighting with the Spaniards. Because of this, he liked calling himself Guido. It's probably a nod to the way Spaniards presumably would localize his name.

Guy Fawkes was actually caught on the night of November 4th. However, since people only heard about the plot the next day, the celebrated date is the fifth.

If you think about the Gunpowder Plot as a terrorist plot, then Guy Fawkes was right to have an alias. However, "John Johnson" was a bit obvious as a generic name. It was the name he gave when he was arrested.

The Occupy movement adopted the Guy Fawkes mask, probably as an offshoot of its pop culture and online use as a face for protest that identities can hide behind. In that sense, Guy Fawkes' spirit can be said to live on in the use of the mask.