Did you know that there’s a special day in June that recognizes the American flag? It’s called Flag Day, and it’s on June 14th every year! Flag Day may be a lesser known day of the year, but it’s been official for over 100 years. With Flag Day right around the corner, we thought it’d be fun to learn some facts about the American flag.
- On June 14th, 1777, Congress officially recognized the stars and stripes as America’s flag.
- Flag Day was first observed in 1885, by a teacher in Wisconsin. Bernard Cigrand and his students set aside time to respect the flag on that day.
- It wasn’t until 1916 that Flag Day became official, established by President Woodrow Wilson.
- Pennsylvania is the only state that recognizes Flag Day as a state holiday. That means an extra day off school!
- The American flag has a few nicknames: The Stars and Stripes, The Star-Spangled Banner, The Red, White, and Blue, and Old Glory. Which one is your favorite?
- A 17-year old designed the American Flag as we know it today. Student Robert Heft created the design for a school project, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower chose his design over 1,500 other submissions. Age is just a number!
- The flag’s colors have official names: Old Glory Red, White, and Old Glory Blue.
- Speaking of colors, the flag’s colors each represent something symbolic. Red represents valor, white represents purity, and blue represents perseverance.
- There have been 27 different versions of the U.S. flag. Each version has a different number of stars.
Even though Flag Day isn’t a major holiday, why not do something fun to celebrate it this year? Pick out one of these no-bake patriotic desserts and celebrate Flag Day as a family!