And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave While the land of the free is the home of the brave. Holmes wrote this extra verse, long after Francis Scott Key wrote the original.

From broad stripes to bright stars, Francis Scott Key's "Star-Spangled Banner" made its way to become our national anthem more than 100 years after it was written.

The defense of the fort inspired poet-lawyer, Francis Scott Key, to write "The Star-Spangled Banner," which would eventually become the country's national anthem.That song kicks off tons of events ...

We only sing the first verse, but the national anthem actually has four. In the midst of the Civil War, poet Oliver Wendell Holmes penned yet another, which speaks to politically divisive times.

Many Americans have no idea there are actually four official verses to the "Star-Spangled Banner" — and even fewer know about a little-known, unofficial fifth verse, written a half century later ...