The Star Spangled Banner

The Star Spangled Banner is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from a poem written on September 14, 1814, by a then 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key.

He wrote the piece after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy — in Outer Baltimore Harbor in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large U.S. flag, with 15 stars and 15 stripes, flying triumphantly above the fort during the U.S. victory.

The poem was set to the…