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Message: [QUOTE="Kibitzer, post: 1801795, member: 30"] A little historic footnote. Francis Scott Key (a lawyer and amateur poet) was a captive, being held on board a British ship as he viewed the intense bombardment of Fort McHenry. When he saw the American flag triumphantly still flying in the aftermath of the brutal bombardment, he was inspired to write a poem. "The Defence of Fort McHenry," from which the lyrics.. about how "bombs bursting in air, the rockets' red glare, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there." The cadence of Key's poem fit the tempo of a then known song, "To Anacreon in Heaven" (of the British Anacreontic Society. a social group). It became, as noted elsewhere, wildly popular with the American public. Finally, in 1931, Key's lyrics ("The Star-Spangled Banner") set to that melody became our our official National Anthem. [/QUOTE]