1. 1712
   1812
2. 1912

We're going to assume you got this one correct. The War of 1812 did, as its name implies, kick off in 1812. It was the beginning of a fraught period in New World history.

1. Mexico
   Great Britain
2. Greenland

Just a couple of decades following the American Revolution, the British and Americans were at it again. As the bombs began bursting, America's sovereignty was anything but guaranteed.

1. Sudanese
   Australians
2. French

The Napoleonic Wars were in full swing and Britain was very much occupied fighting France. Renewed hostilities with American meant that Britain's forces would become even more strained.

1. British Air Force
   British Navy
2. British Nuclear Warfare Team

During the war, Britain still boasted the world's most powerful navy. Even with its sailors strewn about the globe, America had a steep challenge in facing off with Britain and its allies.

1. Britain's trade blockade
   Britain forcing American sailors into service
2. America taunting the king

America taunted the king a lot during the Revolution, but that wasn’t a cause of the War of 1812. The reasons for the conflict ranged from Britain's trade blockade to America's desire for territorial expansion in North America.

1. James Madison
   George Washington
2. Gerald Ford

James Madison was the fourth president of the United States, and he was in office during the conflict. His choices helped lead America into a deadly war.

1. They forced Americans to get cool British flag tattoos.
   They forced American seamen to serve on British ships.
2. They forced American sailors to watch an "impressive" display of British naval firepower.

Before the war, the British routinely captured American merchant sailors and "impressed" them into service on British ships. Americans were outraged by the unjust audacity of the British.

1. Congress was bitterly divided.
   Congress would do anything for the opportunity to use more bombs.
2. Congress was enthusiastic about war.

Congress was very divided on Madison's ideas for war. It ultimately issued the declaration … but it did so with a lot of reluctance.

1. Russia
   Canada
2. Brazil

Madison estimated that with Britain distracted by the French in Europe, it would be easy for America to drive the British out of Canada, capture the country and expand U.S. territory. Turns out, he was wrong.

1. They were too busy ice fishing to care.
   They united to fight the invaders.
2. They invited them to tea.

Canadians were strongly allied with the British and none too happy about American aggression. They dropped their ice-fishing poles and banded together to fight the invaders.

1. American troops got lost in the woods.
   America immediately took control of Canada.
2. The Americans were driven back.

America's troops were woefully underprepared for an offensive. Local forces led by savvy British officers immediately repelled the attacks.

1. They had a tea party on the Great Lakes.
   They captured Detroit.
2. They called it a day and went home.

Following the short-lived American incursion, the British chased the enemy back into the United States … and then captured Detroit. Madison's war was not going quite the way he'd expected.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

American leader William Hull was so spooked by his brief experiences in combat that he was anxious about facing off with the British again. He opted to surrender Detroit without so much as a single shot fired.

1. They thought of it as a nice party.
   They were not excited for war.
2. They wanted to eat the British.

The American public wasn't enthusiastic about the war, and men didn't want to serve in the undermanned and unprepared army. There also weren't enough officers to properly coordinate the existing forces.

1. "The Star-Spangled Banner"
   "God Bless the U.S.A."
2. "Riders on the Storm"

During the British bombardment of Fort McHenry, an American lawyer named Francis Scott Key witnessed American bravery in action. He then wrote a poem that eventually became "The Star-Spangled Banner," and was ultimately adopted as the national anthem.

1. They called FedEx.
   They bought supplies from the Americans.
2. They raided Indian villages.

British troops near the American-Canadian border actually got their supplies from American sources. In effect, American goods were fueling the fight against the United States.

1. Murderers
   Liberators
2. Sissies

American government officials figured that Canadians would view U.S. troops as liberators. Instead, the Canadians took up arms, in part because the U.S. had strong anti-Catholic leanings, a fact that didn't sit well with devout Catholic population north of the border.

1. Surrendering to the Canadians
   Seceding
2. Assassinating Britain's king

New England states were adamantly opposed to the war. They seriously considered seceding from the country to form their own entity.

1. Weapons manufacturers
   Men who secured war funding
2. Merchant captains who engaged in war with the British

During the war, American merchant vessels were authorized to attack British ships … and they did, in great numbers. These "privateers" caused the British Navy more trouble than U.S. Navy ships.

1. Around 50
   Around 1,000
2. More than 15,000

American privateers were an enterprising bunch, capturing British vessels by the hundreds. The British may have lost around 1,000 ships to the privateers during the war.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

In a testament to the seriousness of the conflict, Britain did indeed capture and occupy America's capital during the war. It's the only time in U.S. history that an enemy force has occupied Washington.

1. They opted to become American citizens.
   They decided to surrender.
2. They set fire to the city.

The British had no intention of going peacefully. They set fire to many public buildings in the city … and even burned what is now known as the White House.

1. The Rapture
   An enormous thunderstorm doused the fires.
2. A sudden windstorm miraculously blew out the flames.

As fires scorched the capital, a powerful thunderstorm (perhaps fueled by a hurricane) extinguished many fires. A tornado also ripped through the middle of the city, killing British and Americans alike.

1. About a day
   12 minutes
2. 12 years

Following the epic storm, the British fled to their ships, many of which were severely damaged in the storm. The city was only occupied for about a day.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

This one is likely false. The British wanted to raze Washington as retribution for American actions in other areas of the war. They weren't authorized to hold and occupy enemy territory.

1. New Orleans
   Phoenix
2. Denver

The British decided to capture the important port city of New Orleans. Doing so would give them vital control over much of the South.

1. A major blockade
   Attempted to assassinate President Madison
2. It nuked Seattle.

By 1814, the British had had enough. They implemented a major naval blockade, grinding the American economy to a halt and forcing the country to survive on huge loans from other nations.

1. About 5,000
   About 50,000
2. About 500,000

General Andrew Jackson's men numbered only around 5,000 but they defended New Orleans with ferocity, driving off the larger British force. It became known as the most amazing American victory of the war.

1. In 1811
   A few weeks before the Battle of New Orleans
2. A treaty was never signed and they are still at war.

Unbeknownst to the combatants at New Orleans, American and British politicians had already signed a peace treaty in Europe … so when the Battle of New Orleans raged, the war was essentially already over.

1. Britain
   The United States
2. It was a draw.

In the end, both sides were worn down by the expensive fighting. Many historians essentially view the outcome as a draw.