British Troops Burned Down the White House

On August 24, 1814, British troops marched into Washington D.C. during the War of 1812. Finding the White House abandoned, they sat down to eat the meal that had been prepared for President James Madison and his wife Dolley. After dinner, they torched the mansion, burning it to a shell. Dolley Madison had famously saved a portrait of George Washington before fleeing. The White House was so charred that it had to be painted white to cover the smoke stains, giving it its famous name.