National anthem
Videos
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in sty
Holographic copy of 1847 of Il Canto degli Italiani, the Italian national anthem since 1946
Early version of the "Wilhelmus" as preserved in a manuscript of 1617 (Brussels, Royal Library, MS 15662, fol. 37v–38r)
Rouget de Lisle performing "La Marseillaise" for the first time
The Star-Spangled Banner
Videos
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, a
National anthem
…incentive for such nations that did not yet have an officially defined national anthem to introduce one. The United States introduced the patriotic song The Star-Spangled Banner as a national anthem in 1931. Following this, several nations moved to adopt as official national anthem patriotic songs that had already been in de…
Francis Scott Key's original manuscript copy of his "Defence of Fort M'Henry" poem, now on display at the Maryland Historical Society
An artist's rendering of the battle at Fort McHenry
The 15-star, 15-stripe "Star-Spangled Banner" that inspired the poem
A memorial to John Stafford Smith in Gloucester Cathedral in Gloucester, England