For America's 250th-anniversary-era history of U.S. symbols, which song became the national anthem in 1931?

The Star-Spangled Banner became the national anthem of the United States in 1931.

The song began as a poem written by Francis Scott Key after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. The poem, titled “Defence of Fort M'Henry,” was published in 1814 and was later set to the melody of a popular English drinking song called “Anacreon in Heaven.”

The first verse describes seeing the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry after the overnight attack. Although the song became widely associated with national ceremonies during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it did not receive official national-anthem status until Congress passed legislation and President Herbert Hoover signed it on March 3, 1931.

America the Beautiful and My Country, 'Tis of Thee are patriotic songs, but neither is the official anthem. The anthem is commonly performed at major civic, military, and sporting events.