July 6, 2016

During the War of 1812 between the United States and England, British troops entered Washington, D.C. and burned the White House (known as the Presidential Mansion at the time) in retaliation for the American attack on the city of York in Ontario, Canada. It marks the only time in U.S. history that Washington, D.C., has been occupied by a foreign force. When the British arrived at the White House, they found that President James Madison and his first lady Dolley had already fled to safety in Maryland. They found refuge for the night in Brookeville, a small town in Montgomery County, Maryland, which is known today as the "United States Capital for a Day." British soldiers reportedly sat down to eat a meal in the White House before ransacking the presidential mansion and setting it ablaze. Less than a day after the attack began, a sudden, very heavy thunderstorm—possibly a hurricane—put out the fires.