After witnessing a crucial episode of the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that, set to the melody of an ...

The Star Spangled Banner will be played a bit louder and prouder than normal on any event happening over this weekend.

Like so many famous songs of yore, "The Star-Spangled Banner" started as a poem, called “The Defence of Fort McHenry.” It was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of 1812.

Independence Day celebrations are usually filled with fireworks, parades and patriotic festivities. So, how did it begin?

The actual flag Key saw — the Star-Spangled Banner — is now housed in a climate-controlled, light-protected chamber at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Boiled down to its essence, "The Star-Spangled Banner" is a song about survival and resilience, about bravery and hope. The first stanza of Francis Scott Key's 1814 poem, as sung by generations of ...

Key's poem was quickly set to a popular — and ironically British — tune and was soon rebranded as "The Star-Spangled Banner." In 1931, it finally became America's official national anthem ...

This flag, which measured 30 feet by 42 feet, was the original Star-Spangled Banner that inspired the lines of Francis Scott ...

On This Day: The Star-Spangled Banner. On September 14, ... View the series of clips to learn more about the War of 1812, the inspiration for Key's poem and the legacy of the Star-Spangled Banner.

So, now you know, the Star Spangled Banner is a tone poem/song, the music was borrowed and it was made a hit by Executive order of the President of the United States.

After witnessing a crucial episode of the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that, set to the melody of an 18th-century English drinking song, ... “The Star-Spangled Banner” ...