Historical eventSeptember 131814

War of 1812

War of 1812: Fort McHenry in Baltimore's Inner Harbor was attacked by British forces during the Battle of Baltimore, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write "Defence of Fort McHenry", later used as the lyrics to the United States national anthem.

Everything on September 13Original source

In context

When
Tuesday, September 13 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

The War of 1812 was a conflict initiated by the United States against the United Kingdom and its allies fought mainly in North America and at sea during the wider Napoleonic Wars. The United States declared war on Britain on 18 June 1812. Although peace terms were agreed upon in the December 1814 Treaty of Ghent, the war did not officially end until the peace treaty was ratified by the United States Senate on 17 February 1815.

September 13 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1814War of 1812
  2. 1993Yitzhak Rabin
  3. 1993Nirvana (band)
  4. 1997German Air Force
  5. 2001September 11 attacks
  6. 2005Corrupted Blood incident
  7. 2007Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
  8. 2007McLaren
  9. 2008Delhi
  10. 200813 September 2008 Delhi bombings
  11. 2013Taliban

Also in 1814

  • 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…
  • August 24War of 1812War of 1812: British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to various U.S. government buildings, including the White House.
  • 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…

Everything we record for 1814 →

Sources

Cite this page

“War of 1812”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/war-of-1812-1814-september-13, 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?

September 13 1814 — 212 years ago, on a Tuesday.

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.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.