Who wrote the lyrics that became the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”?

Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics that became the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Key wrote a poem called “Defence of Fort M’Henry” on September 14, 1814. He had witnessed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry near Baltimore during the War of 1812. At dawn, he saw the large American flag still flying above the fort, inspiring the poem’s central image.

The poem was printed in newspapers and soon fitted to the melody of a popular English song, “To Anacreon in Heaven,” composed by John Stafford Smith. The song became widely known as “The Star-Spangled Banner,” although it was not formally adopted as the national anthem until March 3, 1931.

The flag Key saw had fifteen stars and fifteen stripes because Vermont and Kentucky had joined the Union. The anthem has four verses, but public performances usually use only the first. Key’s lyrics and Smith’s melody therefore have different creators.