Flag Day: 7 interesting facts about the American flag and its history

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Sunday, June 14, 2026

3. The Star-Spangled Banner

An 1873 photograph of the Star-Spangled Banner, the American flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem of the United States. | Wikimedia Commons

One of the most famous American flags in history is “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a 30-foot-by-42-foot flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.

The British Navy began a heavy bombardment of the fortress on Sept. 13, 1814, as part of a planned assault on Baltimore, Maryland, with the guns not falling silent until the following day.

And yet the flag remained flying, and the fort remained defiant, prompting the British to withdraw and inspiring an American witness, Francis Scott Key, to write a poem.

Initially named “The Defense of Fort McHenry,” the poem was later set to music and renamed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” eventually becoming the national anthem of the United States.

In the 20th century, the flag — which now measures 30 feet by 34 feet — was permanently donated to the Smithsonian, which possesses it to the present day.

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