National Anthem

By mgilmour

  • Francis Scott Key

    Francis Scott Key
    Pens the lyrics after witnessing the British defeat at Baltimore's Fort McHenry.

  • Woodrow Wilson

    Woodrow Wilson
    When the U.S. turned 140 in 1916, it marked the occasion by finally giving a small measure of official status to The Star-Spangled Banner, one of a score of patriotic songs then in circulation. American president Woodrow Wilson decreed that the song would be sung at all military ceremonies. It was the first step in a laboured political process that would see the song become the U.S.'s national anthem --

  • U.S. Congress

    U.S. Congress
    Passes an act naming "The Star-Spangled Banner " the national anthem.

  • Inauguration President Eisenhower

    Inauguration President Eisenhower
    Anderson sang the national anthem at the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957