Monday, June 14, 2010

Happy Flag Day

According to the Library of Congress: Since 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, Americans have commemorated the adoption of the Stars and Stripes by celebrating June 14 as Flag Day. Prior to 1916, many localities and a few states had been celebrating the day for years. Congressional legislation designating that date as the national Flag Day was signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1949; the legislation also called upon the president to issue a flag day proclamation every year.


According to legend, in 1776, George Washington commissioned Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross to create a flag for the new nation. Scholars debate this legend, but agree that Mrs. Ross most likely knew Washington and sewed flags. To date, there have been twenty-seven official versions of the flag, but the arrangement of the stars varied according to the flag-makers' preferences until 1912 when President Taft standardized the then-new flag's forty-eight stars into six rows of eight. The forty-nine-star flag (1959-60), as well as the fifty-star flag, also have standardized star patterns. The current version of the flag dates to July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the fiftieth state on August 21, 1959.



6 comments:

Amusing Bunni said...

Hi Teresa, Beautiful flags and Video's!
I hope you enjoy this patriotic holiday!
God Bless America.

Christopher - Conservative Perspective said...

Happy Flag Day Teresa!!!

cube said...

Happy Flag Day! Ours is the most beautiful flag in the world.

Teresa said...

Amusing Bunni,
You have a wonderful Flag Day! :)

God Bless America!

Teresa said...

Chris,
Happy Flag Day!

Teresa said...

Cube,
I totally agree. I hope you enjoy this Flag Day!