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Great Scot
AUGUST 23, 1305 - Sir William Wallace, a Scottish knight and military leader during the First Scottish War of Independence, was found guilty and executed for high treason against King Edward I of England. Wallace had famously led his Scottish army in the defeat of a much larger, and better trained English army in the Battle of Stirling Bridge. However, following his defeat at the Battle of Falkirk, Wallace spent the last years of his life trying to evade capture by the English. He was finally caught on August 5, 1305 when he was betrayed by a fellow Scottish knight who was loyal to the King. Following his conviction Wallace was dragged through the streets of London behind a horse, then hanged and beheaded. His head was then placed on pike atop London Bridge as a warning to would-be traitors.
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A Prisoner's Dilemma
 August 23, 1973 - A failed bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden turned into a hostage crisis as Janne Olsson held four people captive in the bank's vault. During the course of the crisis several of the hostages complained about the actions of the police and seemed to sympathize with their hostage taker. After five days the crisis came to an end as police gassed the vault and forced Olsson to surrender. Despite being rescued the hostages have repeatedly claimed they were more frightened of the police than the robbers during their confinement. This led to the coining of the term "Stockholm syndrome" by criminologist Nils Bejerot to refer to a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them.
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The Roof Is On Fire
August 24, 1824 - British troops invaded Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812 and burned down the White House, the Capitol, and several other government buildings. Prior to the British troops arrival most of the government officials fled the city, however First Lady Dolley Madison stayed behind to help members of the White House staff to save some of the valuables. Among the items preserved was the famous Gilbert Stuart portrait of President George Washington, which is found on the one dollar bill.
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