I was struck by comments of the 2026 Winter Olympics gold medalists. Their greatest emotional reaction came not at the moment of victory, but upon hearing the National Anthem played at the medal ceremony. It's then that Olympic medalists experience pride, emotion, gratitude, even relief. Betsy Mitchell, Marietta native who won gold and silver medals in swimming at the 1984 Olympics: “I felt a tremendous sense of pride at representing my hometown of Marietta, Ohio, and our country…I still can’t hear the national anthem without just sort of getting a tear in my eye.” Gymnast Simone Biles: "When they raise the flag and play the anthem, that's when I get emotional (and) realize what I accomplished." The Star Spangled Banner has a similar impact at other times, evoking feelings of patriotism and unity - such as after 9/11.
Francis Scott Key experienced those powerful emotions when he peered through his telescope on September 14, 1814, and saw something he hadn't expected. The "star bangled banner" waved defiantly after the 25 hour bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British. Key was in the right place at the right time. He had just negotiated with British Admiral George Cockburn on the British ship HMS Tonnant for the release of Dr. William Beanes, an elderly American non-combatant. After Beanes was freed, he and Key returned to an American ship where they witnessed the bombardment from a distance.
Francis Scott Key then wrote the lyrics. Note: there are four verses, not just the one we sing. He recorded his observations while on the ship then wrote complete verses soon after. The handwritten final draft of his song survives at the Maryland Historical Society. It has a human touch; he ran out of room on the page; the fourth verse is crowded in at the bottom. The lyrics were first published as a poem, "Defence of Fort M'Henry."
Key's brother-in-law, who fought at Fort McHenry, put the lyrics to an existing melody, a common composer practice then. That existing melody, “The Anacreontic (say it fast) Song,” was sung at meetings of the Anacreontic Society, a popular late 1700s London gentlemen's club. It was named for 6th century B.C. Greek poet Anacreon whose songs celebrated women and wine. Society meetings featured musical performances from “the best performers in London,” drinking, and socializing. The Duchess of Devonshire created a hubbub within the club by attending (stealthily) one of the all-male gatherings - hidden behind a partition - to hear the beautiful music. Seems harmless enough. Apparently the word of her presence got out. Some song lyrics "not calculated for the entertainment of ladies" had to be sanitized, angering the vocalists. Members resigned. By 1792, "the society was dissolved." The organization died but the namesake melody lives on in our national anthem.
The Fort McHenry flag? There were two, actually, sown by Mary Pickersgill in1813. One was a 17x25 ft. storm flag for inclement weather. It flew during the attack. The other was a huge 30x42 ft. garrison flag that was unfurled after the bombardment. Mary was assisted by four teenage girls. It took 7 weeks to complete the two flags. Each had 15 stars and 15 stripes for the 15 states at the time; Vermont and Kentucky had been admitted. The original large flag is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution.
But wait. There were 19 states in 1814, so why were there just 15 Stars and Stripes on the Fort McHenry flag? Well, the American flag design was determined by Congress then. The Flag Act of 1794 specified the number 15 stars and 15 stripes because that’s how many states there were in 1794. But the law was not updated, so flags were still the same in 1814. The situation was corrected by the Flag Act of 1818. It specified what we see today: 13 stripes are set permanently for the original states, and stars are equal to the number of states (50 today), updated as new states join.
Francis Scott Key’s poem went viral; soon the song version was published. It grew in popularity and was used for military ceremonies, becoming the de facto national anthem in the late 1800s. Congress made it official in 1931. The British withdrew after the unsuccessful attack, not realizing they had unleashed a powerful symbol of American patriotism.
