Also Within this year in history

The War of 1812 raged on in 1814 as British troops captured Washington, D.C., setting fire to the Capitol, the White House and other landmarks. (The war ended in December with the Treaty of Ghent.) Francis Scott Key, observing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry, wrote a poem that would be set to music as “The Star-Spangled Banner.” French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated his throne and went into exile on the island of Elba—though he’d escape the next year.

Apr11
The Abdication of Napoleon

The abdication of Napoleon at the Palace of Fontainebleau, from where he will leave for the island of Elba. (Photo by © Historical Picture Archive/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Corbis via Getty Images
Aug24
Dolley Madison

1814: Dolley Madison, wife of US president James Madison rescues a portrait of George Washington from the White House before the British troops set fire to the building during the War of 1812. A print by A Bubbett. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Getty Images

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