Video: 'The Forgotten War of 1812.' (Aug. 24, 1814, at 1:15:36)

(Wednesday, August 24, 1814, 10:30 p.m. local time; during the Burning of Washington, part the War of 1812) — British troops entered Washington, D.C. today and burned the White House in retaliation for the American attack on the city of York in Ontario, Canada, in June 1812. President James Madison and First Lady Dolley Madison had already fled to safety in Maryland.