“The Star-Spangled Banner” became the official U.S. national anthem in 1931.
Congress adopted the song through a joint resolution on March 3, 1931, and President Herbert Hoover signed it the following day. The lyrics came from Francis Scott Key’s 1814 poem, written after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
The melody was adapted from “The Anacreontic Song,” an English tune associated with the Anacreontic Society. This means the words and music have different origins: Key wrote the lyrics, while John Stafford Smith composed the melody.
The song had already been used ceremonially before 1931. The U.S. Navy recognized it for official use in 1889, but national-anthem status required congressional action. Although the anthem has four official stanzas, public performances usually sing only the first.