Mary Pickersgill constructs a flag to fly over Fort McHenry. Francis Scott Key writes “The Star Spangled Banner.”
During the War of 1812, Mary Pickersgill created an American flag that measured three stories high. It flew over Fort McHenry. It, and the fort's bombardment by the British, inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner" while he was a prisoner of the British.
