The U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," was written by Francis Scott Key in Baltimore, Maryland, after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. Key wrote the poem that would become the anthem on the back of a letter while detained on a British ship in the harbor, and he completed it the next day at the Indian Queen Hotel in Baltimore. The sight of the large American flag flying over Fort McHenry inspired his words.

Thus, the national anthem was written at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, specifically completed in a Baltimore hotel immediately after the bombardment was observed.