Fun fact about the Fort, besides its well known role in the War of 1812, it is the only place in the country which is both a National Monument and Historic Shrine. Twenty points go to you if you know the difference between a monument and a memorial. (see below for the answer).
As I walked in the door I was able to catch the second half of the movie. Some interesting points I picked up along the way about the National Anthem:
- The poem was set to a well-known British drinking song, "To Anacreon in Heaven."
- The song has four verses (who knew?)
- It became the official national anthem in 1931 through an Act of Congress
- During World War II, the tradition of singing the anthem at sporting events spread
As the movie wraps up and the National Anthem begins, the movie screen rolls up to reveal a wall of glass windows which give you a fantastic view of the Fort. Very AMERICA!
The weather was beautiful out so I took my time strolling around the grounds and Fort and then down by the water. It is your standard fort, but the cool thing is that a different flag flies every day depending on the weather. In order to recreate the straight flying flag feeling Francis Scott Key had when looking at For McHenry from the Chesapeake Bay, park rangers are very particular about the flag they hoist. On sunny, clear days a full size replica of the Star Spangled Banner (30 x 42 feet) with fifteen stars and stripes is chosen. At night, and on rainy days, a smaller, modern 50 star flag is hoisted. Much like the flag which flies over the White House (trust me I was a DC bike tour guide), the flag at Fort McHenry flies 24 hours a day.
Answer: a monument exists when the person is still alive/the event is going on and a memorial is built after a person has died/the event has passed
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