{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"It Really Happened","title":"The Tornado That Won a War: When Nature Saved America","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":260,"description":"In this captivating episode of It Really Happened, host Bill Whitaker recounts the extraordinary true story of August 1814, when a massive tornado swept through Washington, D.C. and inadvertently saved the nation's capital from destruction. As British forces invaded the young United States and set fires throughout the city, including the White House, a freak storm appeared with devastating winds that extinguished the raging fires and knocked down the invading army—killing and injuring more British soldiers than actual combat had.\n\nThis remarkable historical event demonstrates how nature itself can alter the course of human history. The British soldiers, many of whom had never witnessed a tornado, were so devastated by the natural disaster that they abandoned their campaign and retreated to their ships. Through vivid storytelling and engaging narrative pacing, this episode brings a little-known moment in American history to life, reminding listeners that sometimes the most dramatic turning points in our past are the ones we've almost forgotten.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/wdDrdacXgD7sAuCvVlIuEdPsSfPn_jKRfTQjiNn_kpo/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wMGEx/NDI2MjU0NGQ5Mjk2/NDE1ODZmM2EyMjdh/NjE2ZS5qcGVn.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}