Did you know you know that the British, or Red Coats, had burned our Capitol and attacked the city of Baltimore which was the third largest city in America ...long before the ball team existed?
Did you know that Dr. William Beanes, was related to Francis Scott Key by marriage?( Key was asked to sail and try to get his relative freed.)
Did you know that a storm caused the ground of Fort McHenry to become so wet the cannons fired by the British sunk into the mud?
Did you know Key and those he was with were kept under guard by the British as they watched in dismay for over 25 hours as bombs were being shot at Fort McHenry?
Did you know that Fort McHenry was named for Secretary of War James McHenry, who had signed the Declaration of Independence?
Did you know that words of a previous poem written 9 years earlier were reworked and would become the "Star Spangled Banner?"
And my favorite...Did you know Key's words were NOT written on an envelope as often stated as envelopes were not around until 1901 or later?
So...now you KNOW!!!
As an American, I'm grateful for the words and the history behind those words written so long ago.
Happy 200th Birthday "Star Spangled Banner," and long may she wave!!!