Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics that became the United States national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Key wrote the poem in September 1814 after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. Seeing the large American flag still flying over the fort inspired the poem’s original title, “Defence of Fort M’Henry.”
The words were soon set to the melody of “The Anacreontic Song,” composed by English musician John Stafford Smith. Key wrote the lyrics, but Smith composed the music, a distinction that is often blurred in casual references.
Congress officially adopted “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem on March 3, 1931. Only the first of the poem’s four stanzas is commonly performed at public events.