One of the most famous renditions of the song was performed by Jimi Hendrix at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. WASHINGTON - On March 3, 1931, 'The Star-Spangled Banner' was officially adopted as the U.S. Facts about “The Star Spangled Banner”ġ0 Facts about “The Star Spangled Banner” The poem that formed the basis of the lyrics was penned in 1814 during the War of 1812 by Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old lawyer who was sent to negotiate with the British in an attempt to gain the release of an American prisoner they were holding. The first sporting event to hear “The Star-Spangled Banner” was a baseball game in 1862 in Brooklyn, New York. This song is the national anthem of the United States. The Star-Spangle Banner” has been translated into several other languages including Spanish, Polish, French, Italian, Hebrew, Yiddish, Latin and Native Hawaiian. Facts about “The Star Spangled Banner”ħ In 1861, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. President Herbert Hoover signed the bill that made the song the national anthem in 1931. Key eventually changed the name to better represent the flag and the United States.
Facts about “The Star Spangled Banner”īefore it was named “The Star-Spangled Banner,” it was called “The Defense of Fort McHenry.” Facts about “The Star Spangled Banner” In 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics of The Star Spangled Banner. We’re all familiar with Francis Scott Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner,” especially as a ritual opening at our county’s favorite sporting events. Ironically, the melody Key assigned to accompany the lyrics of The Star-Spangled Banner was a popular English drinking song called To Anacreon in Heaven. Presentation on theme: "Facts about “The Star Spangled Banner”"- Presentation transcript: John Phillip Sousa often played Keys song and in 1931 president Hoover signed legislation making it the national anthem.