00:00In 1814, foreign soldiers stormed Washington, D.C. and burned the White House to the ground.
00:06It happened during the War of 1812, when the United States fought the British Empire for control of trade and territory.
00:13By August 1814, British troops led by Major General Robert Ross marched into the nearly defenseless capital.
00:21President James Madison and First Lady Dolly Madison fled as the enemy advanced.
00:27Before leaving, Dolly rescued a portrait of George Washington, refusing to let it fall into enemy hands, a moment forever written in American history.
00:36On August 24, 1814, British soldiers set fire to public buildings, the Capitol, the Treasury, and the White House.
00:45Flames gutted the mansion, leaving only its blackened stone walls standing.
00:49The next day, a sudden tornado and thunderstorm tore through the city, extinguishing the fires and forcing the British to retreat, a freak event many saw as divine intervention.
01:01When Madison returned, the Capitol was in ruins, but he ordered the White House rebuilt, stone by stone.
01:09The structure that burned in 1814 rose again, painted white to cover its scars.
01:16That's why today it's not just called the President's House, it's called the White House, born from ashes and rebuilt from resilience.
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