In August 1814, a group of British troops raided the nation's capital, looting and burning government buildings in retaliation for an earlier attack during a war with the U.S.
Now, 200 years later, the BBC remembers the "souvenirs" that were stolen that fiery night. Among the looted goods were four paintings of British royals, a grandfather clock and a receipt book belonging to President James Madison.
The grandfather clock is now privately owned. President Franklin Roosevelt demanded the return of the receipt book in 1934. It's now in the Library of Congress.
As for the stolen paintings- portraits of King George III and Queen Charlotte- the U.S. apparently hasn't made much noise for their return. They are currently hanging in two government buildings in Bermuda.
Parts of the White House still have scorch marks from the burning, which was carried out towards the end of the War of 1812. Before the burning, U.S. troops attacked and looted the Parliament at Lower Canada at York, which his present-day Toronto, according to the BBC.
The U.S. took a golden staff, a wooden statue of a lion painted gold among other objects. Unlike the White House item that was returned, the American "trophies of war" remain on display at a naval academy in Maryland.
The war centered around America's attempt to take Canadian territory and Great Britain's attempt to place a blockade on the U.S., according to the BBC.
Both sides were unsuccessful.
Earlier this week, the British Embassy in Washington D.C. took note of the anniversary of the burning by tweeting a picture of the White House surrounded by sparklers.
"Only sparker's this time!" reads the cheeky tweet.
The embassy apologized hours later after due to backlash.
