© 2026 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Our daily newsletter, delivered first thing weekdays, keeps you connected to your community with news, culture, national NPR headlines, and more.

The real story of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'

Few people know the real story of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” or that the massive flag that inspires it still exists.

Here & Now‘s Indira Lakshmanan speaks with Jennifer Jones, a curator of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, about the history of the banner.

The flag that inspired the "Star Spangled Banner" on display. (Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute)
/
The flag that inspired the "Star Spangled Banner" on display. (Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute)

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

Tags
Here & Now Newsroom
Thanks to you, WUSF is here — delivering fact-based news and stories that reflect our community.⁠ Your support powers everything we do.