Just What Is Flag Day?
June 14 marks the anniversary of the adoption of Old Glory
Quick, what's today? If you're not sure of the significance of June 14, you're not alone. Flag Day tends to fly under the radar. The holiday commemorates the adoption of the U.S. flag by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, uniting the newborn nation under one symbol. While the 1777 Congress specified 13 stripes and 13 stars on a field of blue, it didn’t dictate an exact pattern for the new flag’s star-spangled corner. As a result, there’s some variety among the flag designs of the Revolutionary War era. Historians say Betsy Ross’ circle of stars is probably one of the oldest. Americans have been celebrating the flag on June 14 since the 1800s, but it wasn’t until 1916 that a President, Woodrow Wilson, proclaimed the day of …
