Oh Say Can You See?

1814 - Francis Scott Key writes a poem, Defense of Fort McHenry. We now know it as The Star Spangled Banner. It was set to the tune of the popular British drinking song, The Anacreontic Song, sometimes called by its 1st line Anacreon in Heaven. It didn't officially become our National Anthem until 3 March 1931 (46 Stat. 1508, codified at 36 USC §301) While it has 4 stanzas the 1st is usually the only 1 that is sung. I've talked before about Isaac Asimov's campaign to get us to sing a 4 stanzas. & far be it for me to not put in another plug for that campaign. Over the years it has been sung by a wide variety of people. Sometimes it has been memorable by how great a singer performed it. Other times, by how bad (Rosanne's version) the singer was. Then there is probably the most unique version of all, Jimi Hendrix performance in 1969 at Woodstock.

& here is the original song that provided the tune:

(AS an aside, it is interesting that this day produced 3 pieces of music that are all memorable with being so divergent in style.)