Happy Flag Day!
Every June the 14th, we celebrate the day in 1777 when the flag we know and love adopted by the Second Continental Congress.
Since then this red, white, and blue beacon’s inspired a fair number of emotions from sea to shining sea and beyond. In honor of the day, I thought I’d share a few fun facts about the flag’s history:
- The flag has changed 27 times. The final star, for Hawaii, was added in 1960.
- Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag according to a pattern (likely by Francis Hopkinson). Legend has it she changed the six-point stars he’d drawn to five-point ones because they were easier to stitch. Although many contest that there’s not enough evidence that Betsy Ross sewed the first flag at all. (Conspiracy theorists, start your engines.)
- The current design of the was created by Robert G. Heft, for a high school project. He originally received a B- at first, but when the government chose it, it was raised to an A. If that’s not the political machine at its finest, I don’t know what is.
- There are six American flags on the moon. Five are upright, Neil Armstrong’s fell over. (The work of aliens, no doubt.)
…bi-daily smile…