When was “The Star-Spangled Banner” officially adopted as the U.S. national anthem?

“The Star-Spangled Banner” was officially adopted as the U.S. national anthem on March 3, 1931.

The anthem’s lyrics come from “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” a poem written by Francis Scott Key after he witnessed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry near Baltimore during the War of 1812. Key wrote the poem on September 14, 1814.

The tune was adapted from “Anacreon in Heaven,” a popular British song attributed to John Stafford Smith. The song became widely performed in the United States long before Congress gave it official status.

A common mix-up is treating 1814 as the adoption date. That was the year Key wrote the poem, not the year the song became the national anthem. Congress formally designated it in 1931, nearly 117 years later.