("Yankee Doodle") - [Narrator] During the American Revolution, "Yankee Doodle" served as an unofficial national anthem, but the United States did not have an official national anthem until the early 20th century.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was designated as the official tune on March 3rd, 1931, more than 100 years after it was originally written.

Francis Scott Key wrote the poem, originally titled the "Defence of Fort M'Henry," in 1814.

Fort McHenry was a political stronghold for the Americans that played a crucial role in protecting the port city of Baltimore from the British during the War of 1812.

On September 14th, 1814, Fort McHenry was pummeled with British mortar shells and rockets for 24 hours.

When he awoke the next morning, Key saw the American flag flying high above the fort, signaling victory, and wrote down the words for a poem that would later become the lyrics for the famous song.