what famous song was written in 1814?

Answer 1

I know what you're after -- "The Star-Spangled Banner" (a name it acquired very earlier -- thought catchier than Key's original title, "The Defense of Fort McHenry")

But the answer is slightly misleading, because:

1) only the LYRICS were written at that time -- the TUNE (which was first used as "To Anacreon of Heaven") was written in the 1760s in Britain, by John Stafford Smith. It had become quite popular in the young U.S.

In fact, from the 1790s to about 1820 SEVERAL patriotic songs were written to this tune.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200000017/default.html

2) Key's LYRICS of September 14, 1814 were not entirely new. They were partially a re-write of an EARLIER song he had written in 1805. That song, "When the Warrior Returns" was written after the defeat of the Barbary pirates of Tripoli (the "First Barbary War"), for a feast in honor of Stephen Decatur, a naval hero in that war.

In fact, the FLAG imagery itself began with the earlier song, in a verse which celebrated how the splendor of the Crescent (of Tripoli's Islamic flag) was "obscured by the light of the Star Spangled flag of our nation (his first use of that description)

Oh, and Key specifically wrote the 1805 lyrics to be sung to the tune named above. (It is a MYTH that someone noticed in the following day or two that the lyrics would conveniently fit that tune. No, Key WROTE it with that tune in mind.)

Look here for the full lyrics of the earlier song:.
http://www.potw.org/archive/potw340.html

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For details on the background of the Tripolitan War and this song:
http://www.triplopia.org/inside.cfm?ct=682

Incidentally, there have been SCADS of books about the Barbary Wars published in the past five years. Some were already in the works, but others were written, or able to find publishers, because of interest in parallels between that early conflict and the recent conflict with Islamic extremists since Sept 2001. If you're interested a couple you might begin with one of the following --
Richard Zacks, The Pirate Coast
Joshua Landon, Victory in Tripoli
Frank Lambert, The Barbary Wars


(A couple of minor corrections of points in another answer -- the burning of Washington came three weeks BEFORE the British attacked Baltimore, and the Executive Mansion had been painted white BEFORE its burning as well. Actually, the NICKNAME "the White House" came much later.)

Answer 2

Star Spangled banner. Written by Francis Scott Key. He was being held prisoner on a British ship in Baltimore harbor during the shelling of Fort McHenry. The Brits never did get Fort McHenry to surrender but the British did go on the capture and burn Washington D.C. a few days later. The White House was not white until they painted it white during the restoration work from being burned.

Answer 3

the star spangled banner