Was "Ripley's Believe It or Not" Responsible for Our National Anthem?

Quick answer: When did The Star-Spangled Banner become the national anthem?

Congress adopted The Star-Spangled Banner as the national anthem on March 3, 1931, 117 years after Francis Scott Key wrote it during the bombardment of Fort McHenry. A 1929 Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoon claiming America had no national anthem helped spur a petition with millions of signatures.

On March 3, 1931, Congress adopted Francis Scott Key's The Star-Spangled Banner as the national anthem. Getting there was anything but simple. Key wrote the words in 1814 to an existing melody, "To Anacreon in Heaven," a club song of a London gentlemen's music society composed by John Stafford Smith. The tune had been reused many times, including in 1798 as "Adams and Liberty," and Key himself had set an 1805 song, "When the Warrior Returns," to it, his first use of the phrase "star spangled." In early September 1814, after the British burned Washington, Key went with Colonel John Skinner to the British fleet to secure the release of his friend Dr. William Beanes. They found the flagship Tonnant on September 7. Held under guard during the attack, they watched the 25-hour bombardment of Fort McHenry on the night of September 13 and 14. At dawn, seeing the American flag still over the fort, Key began writing on the back of a letter. A handbill was probably printed on September 17, and on September 20 the Baltimore Patriot published the poem as "Defence of Fort M'Henry." The song spread. The Navy adopted it for flag ceremonies in 1889, and in 1916 President Wilson ordered it played at military and official occasions. It caught the public at the 1918 World Series. Still, Congress had not acted after decades of bills. In April 1929 Representative John Linthicum of Maryland introduced another. That year Robert Ripley published a cartoon declaring, "Believe It or Not, America has no national anthem." The outcry was immediate. Linthicum brought Congress a petition with more than five million signatures, the bill passed the House in April 1930, and President Herbert Hoover signed it on March 3, 1931.

Why it matters for leaders: Sometimes it takes someone pointing out what's missing before people act on what they already believe.

Q: What melody does The Star-Spangled Banner use?

A: "To Anacreon in Heaven," by English composer John Stafford Smith, written for London's Anacreontic Society.

Q: What did Ripley's cartoon say?

A: In 1929 Robert Ripley wrote, "Believe It or Not, America has no national anthem," which prompted public pressure on Congress.

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By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation