Happy Anniversary to the song about the Red, White and Blue!  Today 3/3/21 is the 90th Anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner becoming our National Anthem.

During the riots of last Summer, some musicians and historians pushed for a new national anthem saying, "Musicians and historians suggest the anthem, which was written by a 19th-century slave owner, has run its course as America’s national song."

America's anthem was written in 1814  as the rockets glared red and the bombs did burst in air over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.   It took 117 years before it became official.  The Dutch National anthem by comparison hung around for more than 360 years before becoming "official".

A Wikipedia article says "the oldest national anthem defined as "a song, as of praise, devotion, or patriotism"  is the Polish national anthem "Bogurodzica", "Mother of God". The hymn was created somewhere between the 10th and 13th centuries....The second oldest is the Dutch national anthem "Het Wilhelmus",which was written between 1568 and 1572."  It wasn't official declared the national anthem until 1932!

The lyrics come from " the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large U.S. flag, with 15 stars and 15 stripes, known as the Star-Spangled Banner, flying triumphantly above the fort during the U.S. victory."

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was made the national anthem by Congress and signed by President Herbert Hoover on March 3, 1931

In honor of this day the USAF Heartland of American Band shows us how it's done.

We've shared this before but in times like today, when people are seeking to cancel our history, it's good to remember something about where some of America's identity and icons come from.

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