The Penning of the Star-Spangled Banner

The Penning of the Star-Spangled Banner: From Gov Gab: "196 years ago today, after invading Washington, D.C. and burning the President's house, the U.S. Capitol, and a few other federal buildings, British forces attacked Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The British hope was that by invading the U.S.'s then third largest city, they could effectively win the War of 1812. Things didn't go quite as the British planned and not only did the U.S. prevail, but we got our National Anthem

too.

Earlier that week, Francis Scott Key, a lawyer by trade, went with a friend to negotiate the release of a U.S. prisoner that the British had taken in Maryland. Over dinner on a British ship, they successfully negotiated the prisoner's release, but were detained there because they had heard discussions about the British invasion. So as a prisoner from afar, Key and his party witnessed the 25-hour bombardment of Fort McHenry.

When Key woke up the next morning (which would be 196 years from tomorrow), he saw a huge American flag flying over Fort McHenry signaling the British had retreated. He was so happy that he penned the poem, "The Defence of Fort McHenry"on the way home. Later the words were applied to the popular song at the time "To Anacreon in Heaven" and became known as the "Star-Spangled Banner." The song was recognized for official use by the military in the late 1800s and by the President in 1919. In 1931, the song was named the U.S. national anthem by congressional resolution.

The flag that inspired Key still exists. It is on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and is one of the museum's most prized artifacts.

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