What Happened on August 24?

On this day, a volcano buried a Roman city and a foreign army burned the White House. It is also the day two record-setting champions were born.

• 1814 — British troops burn Washington, D.C.

  During the War of 1812, British soldiers captured Washington, D.C. and set fire to the White House and other government buildings. Read the full story →

• 1857 — Ohio Life Insurance bank failure starts a financial panic

  The collapse of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company set off the Panic of 1857, a nationwide economic crisis. Read the full story →

• 1891 — Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera

  Thomas Edison received a patent for the Kinetograph, an early movie camera, and the Kinetoscope viewing machine. Read the full story →

• 1932 — Amelia Earhart flies across the U.S. nonstop

  Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly an airplane nonstop across the United States, from Los Angeles to Newark. Read the full story →

• 1949 — NATO treaty enters into force

  After enough countries approved it, the North Atlantic Treaty officially took effect, creating NATO. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) · Duke Kahanamoku (1890–1968) · Cal Ripken Jr. (1960) · Yasser Arafat (1929–2004)

Days & observances

Ukraine Independence Day · National Peach Pie Day · Pluto Demoted Day · National Waffle Day