Like so many famous songs of yore, "The Star-Spangled Banner" started as a poem, called “The Defence of Fort McHenry.” It was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of 1812.

The Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail is a 560- mile-long land and water route which connects historic sites throughout Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The trail follows ...

Enjoy a little red, white, and blue from across the Smithsonian. Visit the O Say Can You See blog for pointers on U.S. Flag Code, or learn more about the Star-Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian's ...

The Star Spangled Banner symbolizes the bravery and resolve of the men who fought to keep America free and is the best choice for our anthem. We need to preserve our history, not destroy it ...

Removed from exhibit in 1998 for a conservation project that cost about $7 million, the Star-Spangled Banner, as it had become known, returns to center stage this month with the reopening of the ...

“The Star Spangled Banner” has long been derided as a poor choice for our national anthem. Critics cite it as difficult to sing, difficult to understand, and most often, difficult to lov ...

Terry Winter's notebook-collage is based on a 1914 photograph of two women at the Smithsonian working to restore the Star-Spangled Banner in a room with a model of a giant squid. Terry Winters ...

The Grammy winner performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9 ahead of the big game between the ...

By now you’ve probably heard the claim that America’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” is an expression of racial hostility toward African Americans and should be either ...