It's played at the start of every baseball game, but how much do you actually know about our national anthem? It turns out "The Star-Spangled Banner" has a pretty interesting history.

1. It was inspired by a battle

Francis Scott Key had front row seats for the Battle of Fort McHenry, when British troops attacked Baltimore during the war of 1812. Key was taken prisoner by the British, and watched them shell the fort with warships and artillery all night (that's the "rocket's red glare" and "bombs bursting in air").

In the morning, he watched the American troops lift their flag over the fort, and was inspired to write a poem. His "Defense on Fort McHenry" was later set to music, and became "The Star-Spangled Banner."

2. There are actually 4 verses

You won't hear the other 3 verses before any football games, they've basically been forgotten over the years because they're not as catchy as the main tune. I mean, try singing along to this:

"On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?"

3. It's NOT the Betsy Ross flag

Visitors to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. can see the Fort McHenry flag on display, but they often get it mixed up with the Betsy Ross flag, or the original design of the American flag.

In fact the star-spangled banner was made by Mary Pickersgill, who sewed a large flag and small but tough "weather flag" for the fort. Key watched the weather flag waving during the night, while the larger flag was raised after the battle.

4.  It took more than 100 years to become the Anthem

Before America finally picked a national anthem in 1931, songs like "Hail Columbia" and "America the Beautiful" were played at official events. A "Ripley's Believe It Or Not!" newspaper comic from 1929 pointed out the country had no official song, leading to a rush to pick one.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was already a popular song, sung at 4th of July events and during parades, and in 1931 President Herbert Hoover officially made it the anthem.

5. The most popular version was...

Performed by Whitney Houston before Super Bowl XXV in 1991. The singer's take on the anthem was a definite crowd-pleaser, and actually reached spot #20 on the radio charts. The recording staged a comeback after 9/11, when it was played nonstop and actually reached #6.

Find out why the Queen sang along to the anthem only once on the next page!

6. The tune is borrowed from an English song

It doesn't seem very patriotic to owe another country the melody to our song, but the anthem's tune is lifted from a British drinking song called "To Anacreon in Heaven." Anacreon was a Greek poet who loved to drink and party, and the Anacreontic Society was a British club dedicated to him. Listen to their club song and see how close it is to the anthem:

7. There's a famous misspelling on the original copy

With only 14 copies left, the sheet music for our anthem is one of the most valuable artifacts in musical history, and it's very easy to tell a fake from the real thing. The original printing had the subtitle "A Pariotic Song." Oops!

8. It's really hard to sing (really)

We've all heard a singer butcher the anthem at least once, but according to science you should cut them some slack. Professional singers say the song's huge range (one octave and a fifth) and tough high notes are really punishing on your vocal cords, which is why it often sounds so screechy.

Try singing the last big high note in "o'er the land of the free," even expert singers say it's hard to get perfect.

9. The worst version was...

Well, you can take your pick. It all comes down to whether it's worse to forget the lyrics (like Christina Aguilera did) or just sing it really badly like Roseanne Barr, who ended her performance with a crotch grab that didn't help win over the audience.

10. Queen Elizabeth II sang it just once

After 9/11, in a show of support for America, the Queen allowed the Buckingham Palace Guard to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the Changing of the Guard. It was a huge breach of protocol, but she followed it with an even bigger one.

The next day during a special memorial service for 9/11 victims, the Queen actually sang along as the anthem was performed. Of course she had a good reason, but it's a huge deal for the Queen of England to sing another country's anthem.

Share this list and tell us who sang it best!