(NewsNation) — It’s sung at athletic and political events alike — and Monday, “The Star-Spangled Banner” marks 94 years of being America’s national anthem.
The lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner” were written Sept. 14, 1814, by Francis Scott Key, but it didn’t become the United States’ official anthem until 1931.
Key wrote the lyrics after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Maryland during the War of 1912, according to the History Channel.
After watching the siege as he was detained on a British ship, Key saw that Fort McHenry’s flag survived what the History Channel reports was an 1,800-bomb assault.
The lyrics were circulated as a handbill and then published in a Baltimore newspaper on Sept. 20, 1814. Key’s words were set to the tune of the popular English song “To Anacreon in Heaven,” the History Channel said, and in the 19th century, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was considered the national anthem by U.S. troops.
However, it wasn’t formally designated as the national anthem until President Woodrow Wilson signed an executive order in 1916. Congress officially passed legislation confirming that order in March of 1931, and President Herbert Hoover signed it into law.
Jefferson Morley, author of “Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835,” said in a column for the Washington Post that part of the reason “The Star-Spangled Banner” did not become the national anthem in Key’s lifetime was because of his racism and opposition of emancipation.
According to the Washington Post’s history blog, Retropolis, and Smithsonian Magazine, Key spoke of Black people as “a distinct and inferior race.”
While the anthem gained popularity over time, it garnered controversy again after World War I, as some felt its words were too violent, Retropolis reported. However, groups such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy pushed for the song to be the official national anthem, per Retropolis.
Despite its history, Morley wrote, “The Star-Spangled Banner” has since been used to express a “more inclusive, critical and generous patriotism.”
“The Star-Spangled Banner” is typically sung at sports games. Diana Ross was the first major artist to sing the song at the Super Bowl in 1982, People Magazine reported. Before that performance, it had been performed by marching bands and instrumentalists. Since then, artists such as Barry Manilow, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin & Aaron Neville, Reba McEntire and, most recently, Jon Batiste have performed the anthem for the big game.
