This handout photo provided by the Smithsonian Institution, taken in Nov. 2008, shows a family viewing the Star Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington. The original, handwritten manuscript of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the flag that inspired the song’s lyrics will be displayed together at the Smithsonian in Washington, what is believed to be the first time the historic pieces have been shown side-by-side, on Flag Day, June 14, through July 6. (AP Photo/Hugh Talman, Smithsonian Institution)
January 08, 2014 - 5:15 AM
WASHINGTON - The original, handwritten manuscript of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and the flag that inspired the song's lyrics will be displayed together at the Smithsonian in Washington, the first time the historic pieces are believed to have been shown side-by-side.
The manuscript is normally on display at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore and the flag has been at the Smithsonian since the early 1900s. They'll be displayed together from Flag Day, June 14, through July 6.
The three-week display is the start of celebrations marking 200 years since the song was written on Sept. 14, 1814.
Bonnie Lilienfeld, a Smithsonian curator who's working on the manuscript's display in Washington, says she hopes the exhibit will help people think more about where the song's words came from.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014