Francis Scott Key

                My Very Important Person for today is Francis Scott Key.  I wrote a post on him two years ago that gives all the information I would share today. His important information is that he was born on August 1, 1779, and died on January 11, 1843.  He was an American lawyer, author, and amateur from Georgetown. 

                While trying to exchange prisoners with the British, he was on a ship out in the water as the British Navy bombed Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812.  He wrote the words of our national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner” following that battle to express his feelings when he saw the flag of the United States still flying over the fort.

                The reason I chose him for my VIP for this week is a video I discovered about him and the writing of our national anthem.   Here is the story of how our national anthem came to be.