The Star Spangled Banner is the official anthem of the United States, but if there was room for an unofficial one, it would most certainly have to be “God Bless America.” Irving Berlin first wrote the tune and the words for a Ziegfield-style comedic revue Yip, Yip, Yaphank, inspired by his stint at the Army Camp Upton in 1918, but the solemn song did not fit the lighthearted theme. Berlin took it out and put it away, forgetting all about it for twenty years until he decided to compose a patriotic song.

On this day, November 11, in 1938, during an Armistice Day (remembering the end of WW I) radio broadcast, the popular singer Kate Smith performed God Bless America for the first time.

Almost immediately after Kate Smith’s rendition, listeners from all over called in to ask for the sheet music to it. Berlin decided to rebroadcast the song three hours later to West Coast audiences, and with that, God Bless America became an enduring patriotic song.