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Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast (Archive)

O Say Can You See Francis Scott Key?

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Two-hundred years ago this weekend, a Frederick-born lawyer gazed over the water at Fort McHenry as the sun rose during the Battle of Baltimore. Francis Scott Key, by that dawn’s early light, wrote a poem that we now know as the Star-Spangled Banner.  Since its publication in 1814, we’ve learned a lot about the Star Spangled Banner, and now, for the first time in 75 years, there’s a new biography of its lyricist called "What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life." Tom Hall talks with the author Marc Leepson.

Beginning today in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, at Fort McHenry, and in the seas and skies around the state, the "Star-Spangled Spectacular" celebrates the 200th anniversary of this iconic song and its important place in Baltimore history. You can find a complete listing of events at their website.

Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.