Hurrah for the Red, White & Blue: Fun Flag Facts!

Hurrah for the Red, White & Blue! The flag of the United States of America holds so much history and folklore it intrigues me. I thought I would share a few Fun Flag Facts on this 4th of July.

The red, white and blue have significant meaning for the flag. The white symbolizes purity and innocence. Blue stands for vigilance, perseverance and justice. The red represents hardiness and valor.

Seventeen year old Robert G. Heft designed the flag we recognize today. Hawaii and Alaska were due to become the last two states and Heft created the 50-star flag as part of a history project. He received a B- for his effort. He then submitted it to Congress for consideration and President Eisenhower chose his design over 1,500 other entries! Eisenhower called Heft on the telephone to tell him the good news. His teacher also changed his grade to an appropriate “A”.

The name, Old Glory, was the nickname of a U.S. flag owned by William Driver, a sea captain. Women in his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts had given him the flag for his ship but he didn’t give it the name Old Glory until he saw it flying on his ship’s mast in 1831. The term is still popular today.

An interesting TV fact about the flag: If you are a Gilligan’s Island fan you can see the U.S. Flag flying at half-staff off in the distance in the opening sequence of the first season episodes (about 22 seconds in). The pilot episode finished filming on November 22, 1963, the same day that President Kennedy was assassinated.

Bernard J. Cigrand, 19 and a teacher from Waubeka, Wisconsin, proposed the idea for a Flag Day. His reasoning: “…to inspire not only the students but also all Americans in the real meaning and majesty of our flag.” Cigrand wrote hundreds of articles for his convincing argument to celebrate June 14 as national Flag Day.

amercian independence day vector flagFrancis Bellamy, the author of the Pledge of Allegiance, was an editor at the Youth’s Companion magazine. He created it in 1892 to help students commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage to the New World. He wanted to help immigrant children, and the children of immigrants, build loyalty to the United States. In its original form it read:

“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

In 1923, the words, “the Flag of the United States of America” were added. At this time it read:

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words “under God,” creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Today it reads:

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Originally, students were taught to salute the flag with their right hand, palm downward and extended forward! But on June 22, 1942, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance by including it in the U.S. Flag Code. They changed the salute to the hand over the heart because the original too closely resembled the Nazi Germany “Heil Hitler” salute.

On September 13, 1988, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited for the first time on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. On June 24, 1999, the U.S. Senate then adopted the daily recital of the Pledge.

On Memorial Day, the American flag is flown at half-staff until noon. The same takes place on Patriot Day, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and for 30 days after the death of a President or ten days following the death of a Vice President, former Vice President, member of the Cabinet, or Chief Justice.

There are specific requirements for display of the U.S. flag:

  • The flag should be displayed from sunrise to sunset and if on display at night it should be illuminated.
  • The flag is never to touch the ground or the floor.
  • It should be raised quickly and lowered ceremoniously.
  • If displayed on a wall or window the blue field must be in the upper left corner.

Here are the lyrics to Stars & Stripes Forever:

Hurrah for the flag of the free!
May it wave as our standard forever,
The gem of the land and the sea,
The banner of the right.
Let despots remember the day
When our fathers with mighty endeavor
Proclaimed as they marched to the fray
That by their might and by their right
It waves forever.
~John Phillips Sousa

Enjoy your holiday with your friends and family. Be sure and take a moment to be thankful for the freedoms we are blessed to have. Praying we remain the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.

Happy Independence Day!


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8 thoughts on “Hurrah for the Red, White & Blue: Fun Flag Facts!

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  4. Nannette Post author

    Thank you Beth, pray you had a great holiday ♥

  5. MB

    Haha I like that the teacher changed the student’s grade. I would too 😛

  6. Pingback: » Hurrah for the Red, White & Blue: Fun Flag Facts!

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