Francis Scott Key was a lawyer, author and poet, who happened to be aboard a british vessel

when the British bombarded Baltimore in September of 1814. 

He was negotiating the release of some prisoners when the British decided to start the bombardment, as a result of which he wasn´t allowed to leave the ship. At dawn Key saw the American Flag still flying over Fort McHenry, inspiring him to write the patriotic "Defence of Fort McHenry".

These words were combined with the melody of a popular song called "To Anacreon in Heaven" by british composer

John Stafford Smith, but would become the American national anthem only much later.

When first introduced by Executive Order through President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 it didn´t

have any impact, and only Military Bands played it on official occasions. 

Only when it was adopted through Congressional resolution and signed by President Herbert Hoover in 1931,

did it become the anthem every American would know by heart.

Key lived in a house on M Street in Georgetown, unfortunately it was demolished in 1947 as part of the construction of the Whitehurst Freeway. Very close by the Francis Scott Key bridge connects Rosslyn with Georgetown. The Francis Scott Key Park next to Key Bridge also displays a 1814 version US Flag.

Today flag rising ceremonies are held at the fort with visiting tourists.

There are always enough volunteers around to help hold the flag.

The flag of 1814

This guy displays a confederate battle flag inside Fort McHenry and has his picture taken. Why does he do it? Is it coincidence, or does he know that slaveowner Francis Scott Key was a firerce defender of slavery?