WRITER

Francis Scott Key

1779 - 1843

Photo of Francis Scott Key

Icon of person Francis Scott Key

Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779 – January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and poet from Frederick, Maryland, best known as the author of the poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry" which was set to a popular British tune and eventually became the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814 during the War of 1812. He was inspired upon seeing an American flag flying over the fort at dawn: his poem was published within a week with the suggested tune of the popular song "To Anacreon in Heaven". The song with Key's lyrics became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner" and slowly gained in popularity as an unofficial anthem, finally achieving official status as the national anthem more than a century later under President Herbert Hoover. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Francis Scott Key is the 3,704th most popular writer (up from 3,805th in 2019), the 5,350th most popular biography from United States (down from 4,868th in 2019) and the 420th most popular American Writer.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Francis Scott Key by language

Loading...

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Francis Scott Key ranks 3,704 out of 7,302. Before him are Eva Illouz, François de La Mothe Le Vayer, Procopius of Gaza, Norman Vincent Peale, Felix Timmermans, and Ian Rankin. After him are Jesús Moncada, Ferdinand Freiligrath, Orhan Veli Kanık, Staka Skenderova, Símun av Skarði, and Adam Bohorič.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1779, Francis Scott Key ranks 25. Before him are Infanta María Amalia of Spain, Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Archduke Anton Victor of Austria, Jean Coralli, Augustin Saint-Hilaire, and Adam Müller. After him are Johann Schweigger, Louis de Freycinet, Ali-Morad Khan Zand, Filippo Paulucci, Washington Allston, and Joel Roberts Poinsett. Among people deceased in 1843, Francis Scott Key ranks 22. Before him are Charles Macintosh, Alexis Bouvard, Casimir Delavigne, Miguel Ricardo de Álava, Jakob Friedrich Fries, and Ippolito Rosellini. After him are John Trumbull, Julius Vincenz von Krombholz, John Biscoe, Hirata Atsutane, Sylvestre François Lacroix, and Friedrich von Adelung.

Others Born in 1779

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1843

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, Francis Scott Key ranks 5,350 out of 20,380. Before him are Oliver Kirk (1884), Jon Krakauer (1954), Kaʻahumanu (1768), Ward Bond (1903), Norman Vincent Peale (1898), and Freddie Hubbard (1938). After him are Sumner Paine (1868), Angry Grandpa (1950), Ed Lee (1952), Art Carney (1918), Adrienne Barbeau (1945), and Roger Sessions (1896).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among WRITERS In United States

Among writers born in United States, Francis Scott Key ranks 420. Before him are Octavia E. Butler (1947), Steve Berry (1955), Charles Fort (1874), Janet Asimov (1926), Shere Hite (1942), and Norman Vincent Peale (1898). After him are Kim Stanley Robinson (1952), Reginald Rose (1920), Peter Gould (1950), Helen Churchill Candee (1858), Robert W. Chambers (1865), and Mercedes de Acosta (1892).

American born Writers

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous