In 1998, June 14th marks the 221st birthday of the U.S. Flag. In 1777,
the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes pattern for
the national flag. This would follow almost one year after the
Declaration of Independence and more than a decade before the
U.S. Constitution was finalized. Flag Day was first celebrated in 1877,
the centennial of the U.S. flag's existence. After that many citizens and
organizations advocated the adoption of a national day of commemoration for
the U.S. Flag. It was not until 1949, that President Harry Truman signed
legislation making Flag Day a day of national observance.
The U.S. Flag has thirteen stripes, alternating red and white, each stripe
representing one of the 13 original colonies of England.
The United States Flag has 50 stars, one for each state of the Union.
The last star added was for the State of Hawaii, 1960.
For guidance to the traditions and laws of flag display, contact your local
veterans organizations and service organizations such as
American Legion or
Veterans of Foreign Wars
and Elks Clubs
U.S. Flags should not be simply thrown into the trash. By long standing
tradition, there is a simple and dignified procedure to dispose of U.S. Flags.
The Elks, American Legion, VFW, and other veterans organizations provide
instructions on the disposal of old, worn, and damaged U.S.
Flags along with guidance on flag display.
Old Glory
Star-Spangled Banner
The U.S. National Anthem is titled 'Star-Spangled Banner'.
The words were penned by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812 and set to
the tune of an old English drinking song.
Famed composer and long time U.S. Marine Corps Bandmaster John Philip Sousa
wrote the stirring march, "Stars and Stripes Forever".
- 1775: The Continental Congress established the United States Army.
- 1777: The Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the
national flag.
- 1801: Benedict Arnold - the American patriot who turned spy for the
British - died.
- 1834: Isaac Fischer Jr. patented sandpaper.
- 1841: The first Canadian parliament opened in Kingston.
- 1846: A group of U.S. settlers in Sonoma proclaimed the Republic of
California.
- 1881: John McTammany Jr. patented the player piano.
- 1909: Actor/singer Burl Ives was born in Hunt, Ill.
- 1937: Pennsylvania became the first state in the United States to
observe Flag Day as a legal holiday.
- 1940: France fell to Nazi Germany; the Nazis opened the Auschwitz
concentration camp in Poland.
- 1951: Univac - the world's first commercial computer - was unveiled.
- 1953: Seven former Southern Conference university sports
teams established the Atlantic Coast Conference;
Elvis Presley graduated from L.C. Humes High School
in Memphis, Tenn.
- 1954: President Eisenhower signed an order adding the words
"under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance.
- 1982: Argentine forces on the Falkland Islands surrendered to
British troops.
- 1985: Lebanese Shiite Muslim extremists hijacked TWA Flight 847.
- 1993: President Clinton chose Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg to serve
on the Supreme Court.
- 1916: Dorothy McGuire, actress - 1923: Gene Barry, actor, "Bat Masterson," "Atomic City" - 1925: Pierre Salinger, journalist/author - 1931: Marla Gibbs, actress, "The Jeffersons," "227" - 1945: Rod Argent, singer, The Zombies, Argent - 1946: Donald Trump, real estate mogul - 1954: Will Patton, actor, "Armageddon" - 1958: Eric Heiden, Olympic speed skater - 1961: Boy George, singer, Culture Club - 1968: Yasmine Bleeth, "Baywatch" - 1969: Steffi Graf, tennis player - 1971: Traylor Howard, actress, "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place"
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