Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics that became the United States national anthem after seeing the 1814 Battle of Fort McHenry.
Key was a lawyer and amateur poet who watched the bombardment of Fort McHenry from a British ship during the War of 1812. At dawn on September 14, 1814, he saw the large American flag still flying over the fort and began writing a poem inspired by the sight.
The poem was titled “Defence of Fort M'Henry.” Its words were soon paired with the melody of “Anacreon in Heaven,” an English song associated with the Anacreontic Society and composed by John Stafford Smith. The resulting song became widely popular.
Congress designated “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem in 1931. Key wrote four stanzas, but public performances generally use only the first. The anthem’s title refers to the flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the battle.