We are now going to explain the War of 1812 to you. Why not?

We didn’t think we’d find ourselves here, either. But on Wednesday, CNN reported that the 206-year-old war figured prominently in a discussion between President Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada on May 25. According to CNN’s unnamed sources, Mr. Trump asked Mr. Trudeau, “Didn’t you guys burn down the White House?”

The New York Times then confirmed the CNN report, as did The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

It’s unclear if the president was trying to make a joke during what was, reportedly, a tense call about his decision to impose steep tariffs on metals imported from Canada, Mexico and the European Union.

Any lesson on the War of 1812 probably isn’t the most vivid memory people have from their high school history classes, so its details may be fuzzy to many. And with the war suddenly in the news and the butt of jokes on social media, they might fairly wonder: Well, did Canada burn down the White House?

No, Canada did not burn down the White House during the War of 1812, which was fought with Britain over maritime rights. What is now Canada was not yet a country in 1812, but rather British colonies.