Who wrote the lyrics of the U.S. national anthem, a song featured in America250 celebrations?

Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics of the U.S. national anthem, a song featured in America250 celebrations.

Key composed the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry” after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore on September 13–14, 1814. The sight of the American flag still flying above the fort inspired the words that became “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The poem was printed in 1814 and was soon sung to the melody of a British tune called “Anacreon in Heaven.” The song gradually became popular for patriotic occasions, but it did not become the official national anthem until 1931.

Key was a Maryland lawyer and government official, not a professional composer. The flag that inspired him was unusually large, measuring roughly 30 by 42 feet, so it could be seen from a distance.