Parliament’s 1605 State Opening was scheduled for a Tuesday.
The State Opening was planned for Tuesday, 5 November 1605, when King James VI and I was expected to open the second session of the Parliament of England. The Gunpowder Plot conspirators intended to detonate gunpowder beneath the House of Lords during the ceremony, killing the king and many leading figures of the state.
Guy Fawkes was discovered guarding the explosives during a search of the parliamentary cellars late on Monday, 4 November, only hours before the planned opening. He was arrested early on 5 November, and the plot collapsed before Parliament assembled.
The date needs a small historical qualification: England was still using the Julian calendar in 1605. Modern accounts generally retain the historical date as 5 November, but the weekday calculation belongs to the calendar then in use. The discovery inspired the annual 5 November observance that later became known as Guy Fawkes Night, Bonfire Night or Fireworks Night.
The failed attack also left a lasting parliamentary ritual. The cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster are ceremonially searched before the State Opening, recalling the place where Fawkes was found.