13 Things You Probably Don't Know About The American Flag

Some states had rearranged the stars out of the grid in an attempt to standardize the flag. Nonetheless, President Taft introduced delimited proportions and standardization guidelines.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
The United States flag is
. Whether it is small or big, it is easily recognizable. So apart from the fifty stars and the red and blue stripes, what else do you know?Here are some of the things probably you did not know about the United States flag.
  1. There is a designated name of the flag
The flag is correctly referred to as the 'flag of the United States of America'. Any other name including 'the American flag' is a nickname.
  1. The thirteen stripes and the fifty stars has connotation
The flag of the United States of America has 13 stripes and 50 stars. The rule about how many stars and stripes should be on the flag was laid down by the Congress in 1818. The thirteen are emblems of the thirteen British colonies that announced independence from the Great Britain in 1776. The fifty stars represent the states in America. I wonder if a star would be added if a state was to be annexed.
  1. The current version is the 27
The flag has changed over the years to represent the number of states that constitute America. However, there is an exceptional flag that had fifteen stripes. Probably the designers just realized that adding the stripes wouldn't just work.
  1. The flag has standardized rules
Some states had rearranged the stars out of the grid in an attempt to standardize the flag. Nonetheless, President Taft introduced delimited proportions and standardization guidelines. One of the rules stated that all the stars had to be arranged with one point facing up.
  1. The flag's colors represent American values
There are also rules regarding the colors. The colors have specific shades. The three colors are white, old glory red and old glory blue. The white color signifies hope and purity as well as the neatness of life. The red color signifies valor, fervency and zeal. The blue color stands as the color of heaven and represents a reference for God, loyalty, justice, awareness and truth.
  1. The First Flag to Last Over 50 Years
The last version of the U.S. flag was updated as far back as 1959 when the state of Hawaii joined the United States of America. Thus at the moment, the current version is the longest version of the flag.
The current version was adopted for use officially in 1960 and has lasted for over 50 years - the only design of the U.S. flag to have survived that long.
  1. Thera are many nicknames for the flag
Due to the long time the flag has been in existence, it has managed to pick various epithets. Among the common ones are:

- Star and Stripes

- Old Glory

- The Star Spangled Banner

- Red, White and Blue

-The American flag
  1. There is a proper way to view the flag
If the flag happens to pass near where you and your arms are down by the side, that viewing it wrongly. When viewing the flag the right hand over the heart and recite the federal rules and regulations. The same case applies when witnessing it is being hoisted or lowered.
  1. The American flag is folded thirteen time
The flag is folded thirteen times to represents the initial 13 colonies. Each fold has a meaning and it is greatly honored by the military.
  1. The flag has a sleeping and a waking-up schedule
According to the federal laws, the flag should be put on show from sunrise to sunset. However, there is an exception when there is harsh weather.
  1. It is not illegal to burn the US Flag, It is In fact recommended
Surprised? I was after learning this. Actually, the fact remains that it is your first Amendment right to burn the flag, contrary to what you might think. Thanks to the ruling of a US Supreme Court in 1989 we now have the right to burn the Flag.

The flag code also advised that the proper way to get rid of the US flag is to burn it. Yes, burn it, accompanied by a ceremony anyway. This is more preferable than just throwing it away. I guess the act of burning is like giving it a proper/decent burial.

However, it is not cool to just set the flag ablaze for the fun of it, Not cool!
  1. Betsy Rose Might Not Have Designed The First Flag
Did I tell you that my little Theresa also said Betsy Rose designed the Us Flag? And I bet you thought she did as well. Actually, that might not really be true.

Historian Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography, revealed that history has no record to this day to proof that the first U.S. flag was designed by Betsy Rose nor did she had any input in its design.

Instead, there is evidence that one Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Jersey actually did design the U.S. flag.
  1. The Present Flag Was a High School Student's Project
Amazed, I was!

Because the present flag of the U.S. was actually the class project of a high school student. How did this happen? When the 49 and 50 state of the US (Alaska and Hawaii) was established, the need for the flag to be revised arose. Remember the number of stars needed to correspond to the number of US. States present.

The then-president, President Eisenhower got thousands of proposed design for the new American Flag. Thus a 17-year-old Robert G. Heft, a student of Lancaster High in Ohio also sent in his design. His design was accepted and remains in use today.

Although we learned he got a B- in the project, but we think he got an A++ in Life

The U.S. flag over the years has enjoyed the love and sacrifice of the people, the two factors responsible for bringing the flag to where it is today. Presidents have sought for ways to make it better, citizens have laid down their life for it. The US Flag boldly represents the strong spirit binding the American Citizens, responsible for bringing liberty and prosperity to the people

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot