76-years ago today (1931), the United States officially adopted The Star-Spangled Banner as our national anthem:
[the] lyrics written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key. Key, a 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, wrote them as a poem after seeing the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, by British ships in Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812. The poem, entitled “Defence of Fort McHenry,” was set to the tune of the popular British drinking song “The Anacreontic Song”, more commonly known by its first line, “To Anacreon in Heaven,” and became a well-known American patriotic song. With a range of one and a half octaves, it is known for being notoriously difficult to sing. It was recognized for official use by the United States Navy (1889) and the White House (1916), and was made the national anthem by a Congressional resolution on 3 March 1931.
I still remember the day when I heard it for the first time while wearing my BDUs (while in basic training at Ft. Knox, KY). I got goosebumps and teared up listening to the words. Everytime I hear it now,I still get a lump in my throat.
