You’ve probably sung the national anthem at a sporting event, but do you know what it means? The “Star-Bangled Banner” story dates back to 1814, inspired by the American flag and its red, white, and blue colors shining through a haze of smoke and battle. It embodies the spirit of a young nation standing tall amidst the chaos of war. As we reflect on Independence Day this month, let’s remember the story of our country’s anthem. It was a dark day on Sept. 13, 1814, when British warships attacked Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. The Battle of Baltimore came just weeks after the British burned the Capitol, the Treasury, and the president’s home in Washington, D.C. The British ships’ bombardment of the American fort lasted about 25 hours. From Bombs Bursting in Air to National Anthem THE BATTLE THAT INSPIRED THE ‘STAR-SPANGLED BANNER’
FROM FINGERS TO FORKS The Evolution of Dining Etiquette Have you ever feasted on chicken wings, your hands stained with barbecue sauce, and thought, Why don’t we just eat everything like this? As it turns out, we did — people only started eating their meals with cutlery fairly recently. Many cultures around the world still eat primarily with their hands. So, why are placemats adorned with forks, spoons, and knives commonplace today? To find out, we have to get our hands dirty — because the history of cutlery, much like the history of civilization, is complex, nuanced, and full of gossip. BIG SPOON LITTLE SPOON Perhaps unsurprisingly, spoons are the oldest examples of cutlery people used consistently for millennia. After all, what good is a fine pot of communal soup without a spoon to eat it with? Likewise, knives have always been used to cut up meat and prepare our meals, but only the advent of individualized meals rather than buffet-style brought along the advent of dinner knives. Forks, however, are an altogether newer invention. Although large serving forks can be traced as far back as Ancient Egypt, the individual, smaller version has its roots in the Byzantine Empire. Around one thousand years ago, the Byzantine noblewoman Theodora Doukaina brought a golden fork to her wedding feast in Venice. It became quite controversial among the Italians, with many shunning the novel tool as posh and overly decadent. However, as royals began to intermarry, the fork gradually caught on. Royals increasingly ate with cutlery and became weary of dirtying their hands with their food. By the 1800s, cutlery was widespread in the Western world, and today, most people and establishments serve meals with silverware! ANTIQUITY — MAKING A COMEBACK There’s a reason movie theater popcorn doesn’t come with a popcorn spoon and your favorite burger joint doesn’t offer sporks; some food is meant to be eaten with your hands. While most sit-down meals will always be the domain of the cutlery- wielding elite, finger food isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and if history has any say, it never will.
An American lawyer named Francis Scott Key got an unwanted front-row seat to the entire event. Just a week earlier, Key had traveled to the Chesapeake Bay, boarding a British ship hoping to convince them to release his recently arrested friend. Though Key’s
persuasion was successful, he and his companions now knew too much about the planned attack on Baltimore. The British returned them to their boat but wouldn’t release them, holding guard over their ship as the attack began. As Key watched, he was sure the Americans would lose until the smoke lifted in “the dawn’s early light,” and he could see the American flag waving in victory over the fort. Key jotted down his thoughts about what
he witnessed on the back of a letter he carried in his pocket, and upon his release, newspapers in the U.S. printed his poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry.” The poem, which tells the story of Key searching through the “rockets red glare” and “bombs bursting in air” for the flag’s stars and stripes, became an instant hit. The words were then put to the melody of “The Anacreontic Song” and gained popularity through the 19th century. In 1931, more than a century after Key’s poetic account of the Battle of Baltimore, the “Star-Spangled Banner” was officially designated as the United States’ national anthem. As we sing these powerful verses today, remember we’re commemorating the resilience and bravery of those who fought for our country’s freedom.
– Michael Packard
2 PACKARDFIRM.COM
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