War of 1812
War of 1812: British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to various U.S. government buildings, including the White House.
In context
- When
- Wednesday, August 24 1814212 years ago
- Category
- Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Era
- 19th century · 1810s
- Recorded from
- Wikipedia “On this day” feed
Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.
At a glance
Dates: From 1814.
What happened
War of 1812: British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to various U.S. government buildings, including the White House.
August 24 through the years
Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.
- 1814War of 1812
- 2010Agni Air Flight 101
- 2010Henan Airlines Flight 8387
- 2010San Fernando, Tamaulipas
- 2012Anders Behring Breivik
- 20142014 South Napa earthquake
- 2016Proxima Centauri b
- 2016August 2016 Central Italy earthquake
- 2017List of government space agencies
- 2020Erin O'Toole
- 2023Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
Also in 1814
- September 13War of 1812War of 1812: Fort McHenry in Baltimore's Inner Harbor was attacked by British forces during the Battle of Baltimore, inspiring Francis Sc…
- January 14Denmark–NorwaySweden and Denmark–Norway signed the Treaty of Kiel, whereby Frederick VI of Denmark ceded Norway to Sweden in return for the Swedish hol…
- December 24Treaty of GhentThe United Kingdom and the United States signed a peace treaty in Ghent, present-day Belgium, ending the War of 1812.
- February 1MayonMore than 1,200 people died in the most destructive recorded eruption of Mayon in the Philippines.
- February 27Peninsular WarPeninsular War: In the south of France, Spanish, British and Portuguese soldiers under the command of the Marquess of Wellington defeated…
- January 29War of the Sixth CoalitionWar of the Sixth Coalition: At the Battle of Brienne, both sides' commanders, Napoleon and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, were nearly cap…
- August 31War of 1812War of 1812: American militia forces repelled a British force at the Battle of Caulk's Field, killing 41 people including Captain Peter P…
- February 18War of the Sixth CoalitionWar of the Sixth Coalition: French troops led by Napoleon forced the Army of Bohemia to retreat after it advanced dangerously close to Pa…
Sources
- Wikipedia article (text, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 for adapted text · how we source this
Cite this page
“War of 1812”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/war-of-1812-1814-august-24, accessed October 28, 2026.
Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.
Questions about this entry
When did War of 1812 happen?
August 24 1814 — 212 years ago, on a Wednesday.
Where does this text come from?
Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.
How do I cite this page?
Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.
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