Oh, say! Do you know???

With the flag getting so much press at this time of year, let's go back in time and review that part of its history which produced the "Star Spangled Banner."

Here's some interesting (to me) trivia. See how much you know already; then bluff the rest.

1. Francis Scott Key was a: a. writer; b. doctor; c. lawyer; d. soldier.

2. Our national anthem is a product of this war: a. Revolutionary; b. French-Indian; c. 1812; d. Civil.

3. The tune was originally named: a. God Save the Queen; b. To Anacreon in Heaven; c. The Farmer's Curst Wife; d. John Brown's Body.

4. The original name of the poem was: a. Ride of Paul Revere; b. Battle of New Orleans; c. Surrender of Cornwallis; d. Bombardment of Fort McHenry.

5. Where was F. S. Key when he began writing his poem? a. holding the "star-spangled banner"; b. on an enemy flagship; c. on a small government boat; d. on the shore watching through binoculars.

6. Key first scribbled the words on: a. a flagpole; b. the butt of his rifle; c. an envelope; d. the ship captain’s personal stationery.

7. Who was president when the poem was written? a. George Washington; b. James Madison; c. Abraham Lincoln; d. Herbert Hoover.

8. Who was president when the song became the national anthem? a. George Washington; b. James Madison; c. Abraham Lincoln; d. Herbert Hoover.

9. Where can the original flag still be seen? a. in the Baltimore museum; b. in the Capitol building; c. in the Smithsonian Institute; d. at the Pentagon.

Have you marked your choices?

1. F. S. Key was a Baltimore lawyer as well as a volunteer soldier.

2. It was written two years into the War of 1812.

3. History has it that Key probably had the tune, "To Anacreon in Heaven," a popular drinking song of the day, in mind as he wrote.

4. Key’s brother-in-law, Joseph Hopper Nicholson, had the poem printed with the title, "Bombardment of Fort McHenry."

5.Key and two friends had returned from the British flagship where they had gone with papers from the president stating that their captured colleague, Dr. Beane, was not a soldier and should be released. Their mission was successful, and they were allowed to return to their government boat, but were warned not to go back to shore until the battle was over.

6. He wrote the first draft on the back of an envelope.

7. James Madison, president from 1809-1817.

8. Although Woodrow Wilson signed a presidential order to that effect in 1916, it was not confirmed until President Hoover signed an act of Congress in 1931.

9. The tattered flag resides in the Smithsonian Institute.

A safe and happy Independence Day celebration and remembrance to you all.