On August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812 between the United
States and England, British troops entered Washington, D.C.
and burned the White House in retaliation for the American
attack on the city of York in Ontario, Canada, in June 1813.

When the British arrived at the White House, they found that
President James Madison and his first lady Dolley (below) 
had already fled to safety in Maryland.

Soldiers reportedly sat down to eat a meal made of leftover food
from the White House scullery using White House dishes and
silver before ransacking the presidential mansion and setting
it ablaze.

Although President Madison and his wife were able to return to Washington only three days later when British troops had
moved on, they never again lived in the White House.

It was not until 1817 that newly elected president James Monroe
moved back into the reconstructed building.
   
  
   
   

On August 19, 1909, the first race was held at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway, now the home of the world’s most famous
motor racing competition, the Indianapolis 500.

Built on 328 acres of farmland five miles northwest of
Indianapolis, Indiana, the speedway was started by local
businessmen as a testing facility for Indiana’s growing
automobile industry.

After seeing what these cars could do, spectators would
presumably head down to the showroom of their choice
to get a closer look.

The rectangular two-and-a-half-mile track linked four turns,
each exactly 440 yards from start to finish, by two long and
two short straight sections.

New York born movie actor Robert De Niro is known for his
collaboration with director Martin Scorsese and roles in
The Deer Hunter (1978) and The Godfather Part II (1974)
becoming the first male to win and Academy Award for
an Italian-language Best Supporting Actor performance.

     
    
    
       
        
       
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Halle Maria Berry began
        
her career as a model and beauty contestant 
contestant becoming Miss Ohio USA in 1986,
first runner-up in Miss USA 1986 and placing
sixth in Miss World 1986.

2017

Shortly after midnight on August 13, 1961, East German soldiers
began laying down barbed wire and bricks as a barrier between
Soviet-controlled East Berlin and the democratic western section
of the city.

After World War II, defeated Germany was divided into Soviet,
American, British and French zones of occupation.

   
Berlin Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse, Berlin, Germany.