"O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave / O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
As you probably know, these lyrics conclude the "Star-Spangled Banner," the national anthem of the United States of America. What you might not be aware of is that the original "Star-Spangled Banner" still exists and is housed at the National Museum of American History as part of the Smithsonian complex in Washington, D.C.
Today marks the 200th anniversary of the day this flag was hoisted over Fort McHenry to celebrate a victory over British forces during the Battle of Baltimore on Sept. 14, 1814. That moment would go on to inspire Francis Scott Key to pen the lyrics to our national anthem.
So after 200 years, it's not surprising that the flag that inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner" has been through some wear and tear. In fact, whole pieces of the flag are still missing due to its caretakers cutting off small sections of it to keep and give away as souvenirs. By the 1880s, about 20 percent of the flag was missing, according to The Associated Press.
If you've got an old piece of red, white or blue cloth hanging around your house, it might just be a part of this flag. The Smithsonian has been receiving some of those fragments and testing them to see if they are a part of the banner in the hopes that they can be added to the collection.
The museum uses microscopes, x-rays, documents and other equipment to see if fragments brought in are a match, according to The Associated Press. Since the Smithsonian acquired the flag in 1907, it has collected 17 pieces of the flag from donations or at auctions, the last of which being in 2003. The Smithsonian doesn't plan on tracking down all of the pieces or reattaching them to the flag. However, the 15th cotton star, which was taken from the flag some time before 1873, is highly sought after by the museum.
The 30-foot by 42-foot flag is currently on display at the National Museum of American History where it is kept in a low-lit chamber with oxygen, humidity and temperature levels controlled for conservation.
Though Scott Key wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner" in 1814, it did not become our national anthem until 1931. However, before President Herbert Hoover signed it into law, the national anthem was criticized by some as having a violent message and just being too difficult to sing, the latter of which we have painfully seen play out again and again.
