Stuff to Blog About and More: The Star Spangled Banner

Sunday, September 14, marks the 194th anniversary of the penning of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland."The Star-Spangled Banner" is a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and amateur poet, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, by British ships during the War of 1812. Frances Scott Key also included a note that it should be sung to the popular British melody "To Anacreon in Heaven."

A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition that is formally recognized by a country's government as their official national song. The United States of America's national anthem is "The Star-Spangled Banner."

In 1916, Woodrow Wilson ordered that "The Star-Spangled Banner" be played at military and other appropriate occasions. On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover sigppropriate occasions. On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a law adopting "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the national anthe

United States of America National Anthem: Star Spangled Banner
Listen to the National Anthem

Oh, say can you see,
By the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed
At the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
Through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched
Were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there.
O, say, does that
Star-Spangled Banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free
And the home of the brave?

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FTC: Your Rights: Credit Reporting

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, has prepared a brochure, Your Access to Free Credit Reports, explaining your rights under the FCRA and how to order a free annual credit report.

A credit report includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you've been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy. Nationwide consumer reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a home.

How do I order my free report?

You can order your free annual credit report online at annualcreditreport.com, by calling 1-877-322-8228, or by completing the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

When you order, you need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. To verify your identity, you may need to provide some information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment.

A Warning About "Imposter" Sites

The FTC advises consumers who order their free annual credit reports online to be sure to correctly spell annualcreditreport.com, or link to it from the FTC's website to avoid being misdirected to other websites that offer supposedly free reports,but only with the purchase of other products. While consumers may be offered additional products or services while on the authorized website, they are not required to make a purchase to receive their free annual credit reports.

For more information on free annual credit reports, read Your Access to Free Credit Reports.