![]() ![]() ![]() Alaska and Hawaii joined the nation in 1959 and the new design became official on July 4, 1960. He also mailed the design to his congressman, Walter Moeller, who took up the banner. Over the next two years, Heft wrote letters and called the White House numerous times seeking his flag’s approval. Heft, who died in 2009, received a B- from an unimpressed teacher, who reportedly called the design unoriginal. Most famously, one of those had been sent by then-high school junior Bob Heft of Ohio, who had designed the 50-star flag for a class assignment. Among the hundreds of submissions received, there were reportedly at least three for the current flag. While Alaska and Hawaii were being considered for statehood, then-president Dwight Eisenhower asked for design proposals for a new flag. The latest edition, consisting of 50 stars and 13 stripes, was created in the late 1950s. The original, sometimes dubbed “The Betsy Ross”-though few researchers express confidence that Ross created the first flag-displayed 13 stars and 13 stripes, with the stars arranged in a circle. ![]() Today’s flag has undergone numerous modifications- 26, to be exact-since the 1777 model. Even so, all presidents since 1949 have issued a Flag Day proclamation. The statute requested presidents issue annual Flag Day proclamations but did not designate it an official national holiday. Congress recognized Flag Day with an official statute a few decades later, in 1949, under the Truman administration. President Calvin Coolidge issued a similar Flag Day proclamation in 1927. ![]() On June 14 of that year, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation acknowledging the holiday. How Flag Day became a national observanceįlag Day’s national debut came in 1916, almost two centuries-and more than 20 designs-after the flag’s adoption in the United States. Kerr, a Pittsburgh native and founder of the Flag Day Association of Western Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Duane Gillespie, a descendent of Benjamin Franklin who petitioned for all public buildings to display the American flag, and George Bolch, a principal in New York whose school celebrated Flag Day in 1889. Others also credited for promoting Flag Day in the late 1800s include William T. The foundation holds such Flag Day events as a parade, family festival, and fireworks and curates three public museums, including one specifically dedicated to Cigrand. In response, National Flag Day Foundation Chairman Jack Janik said at the time, “The community is overwhelmed, they’re so proud.” And, on June 14, 2004, Congress passed an additional resolution officially recognizing that Flag Day originated in Ozaukee County. Newspaper articles and books advocating for the creation of the holiday, including a public proposal in the Chicago Argus newspaper in 1886.Ĭigrand died 17 years before the Congressional statute was passed, but Ozaukee County’s National Flag Day Foundation honors his legacy each June. Photograph by David Guttenfelder, Nat Geo Image Collection While red, white, and blue are now inseparably associated with patriotism in America, the colors didn’t have specific symbolism when adopted in 1777. In 1885-when Cigrand was 19 years old and the flag contained 38 stars-the young teacher instructed his students in Ozaukee County to write essays entitled, “What the American flag means to me.” In the years that followed, Cigrand wrote severalĪ cowgirl queen carries the American flag for a rodeo at the Teton County Fair in Jackson, Wyoming. How Flag Day beganīut it received national recognition, Flag Day was pioneered by a number of patriotic citizens.īernard Cigrand, a nineteenth century Wisconsin school teacher, dentist, and reporter, is sometimes considered the “ father of Flag Day.” Here's what to know about how Flag Day got started-and how the flag has changed through the years. To celebrate the American flag, June 14 is thus known as Flag Day.Īlthough Flag Day is observed on a smaller scale than neighboring patriotic holidays like Memorial Day and Independence Day, the observance has its own rich history. Red, white, and backed by a narrative almost as long as the nation-the official tri-colored, star-spangled banner that tops government buildings and citizen homes across the United States first waved on J(albeit in a different configuration). ![]()
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