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The United States flag is commonly called the Stars and Stripes and less commonly Old Glory. The name Old Glory was coined in the 1830s, and was of particularly common use during the era of 48-star version ( 1912 to 1959).
The flag has gone through 26 changes since the new union of 13 states first adopted it. The 48-star version holds the record, 47 years, for the longest time the flag has gone unchanged. The current 50-star version will tie the record if it is still in use on July 4, 2007.
On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." Describing the new flag, the Congress wrote, "White signifies Purity and Innocence; Red, Hardiness and Valor; Blue signifies Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice." Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year.
The Flag Resolution did not specify any particular arrangement for the stars. Initially, a variety of designs were used, including a circular arrangement (pictured at right), but gradually a design featuring horizontal rows of stars emerged as the standard. As further states entered the union, extra stars and stripes were added until this proved to cause too much clutter. It was ultimately decided that there would be a star for each state, but the number of stripes would remain at thirteen to honor the original colonies. It was the 15-star, 15-stripe flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write " The Star-Spangled Bannerbroadside on September 17 under the title "The Defence of Fort M'Henry," with an explanatory note explaining the circumstances of its writing. Of the five copies made, two are known to still exist. Fort McHenry. 1814 copy of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was", now the national anthemA national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is formally recognized by a country's government as their state's official national song. During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, with the rise of the national state, most count.
When the flag design changes, the change always takes place on July 4 in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAlternate meanings: Philadelphia (disambiguation Philadelphia is the fifth-largest city in the United States and the largest city in Pennsylvania, occupying all of Philadelphia County . As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,517,550, but a July 1, 20, as a consequence of the Flag Act of April 4April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). There are 271 days remaining. Events 1581 Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. 1721 Sir Robert Walpole enters office as, 18181818 is a common year starting on Thursday. Events February 12 Chile gains its independence from Spain March 11 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is published March 22 Easter Sunday falls on its earliest possible date. The next time Easter will fall this early:. July 4, Independence Day in the United States, commemorates the founding of the nationA nation is an imagined community of people created by a national ideology, also known as nationalism, to which certain norms and behavior are usually attributed. Added to this is usually the idea that a national (a person of the national ideology) should. The most recent change, from forty-nine stars to fifty, occurred in 1960Events January-February January 1 Independence of Cameroon January 9 Aswan High Dam construction begins in Egypt January 11 Chad declares its independence. January 14 Ralph Chubb, the gay poet and printer, dies at Fair Oak Cottage in Hampshire. January 23, after Hawaii gained statehood. Before that, the admission of Alaska the year before prompted the debut of a short-lived 49-star flag.
The flag flew in battle for the first time at Cooch's Bridge in Maryland on September 3, 1777 during the American Revolutionary War.
The origin of the U.S. flag design is uncertain. A popular story credits
Betsy Ross for sewing the first flag from a pencil sketch of George Washington who personally commissioned her for the job. However, no evidence for this theory exists beyond Ross's own records. The British historian Sir Charles Fawcett has suggested that the design of the flag may have been derived from the flag and jack of the British East India Company. Comparisons between the 2 flags support Fawcett's suggestion. Another popular theory is that the flag was designed by Francis Hopkinson. He reportedly originally wanted the stars arranged in four bands, one vertical, one horizontal, and two diagonal. By the same reports, this arrangement was rejected due to similarity to the British flag.| Politics | Business | Finance |
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