June 14, 2011 - Flag Day

The annual celebration of the flag was begun in 1885 by a BJ Cigrand, a teacher in Wisconsin.  His enthusiastic advocating of the celebration spread to schools and communities in other states.  The local and state celebrations continued to grow and in 1916 President Wilson's proclamation established Flag Day as the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777.  In August of 1949, President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day. 

Until an Executive Order in 1912, there were some rather unique flags flying.  Neither the order of the stars nor the proportions of the flag were prescribed.  The original Flag Resolution of 1777 passed by the Second Continental Congress dictated that the flag have a total of 13 stripes – red and white alternating – and 13 white stars in a field of blue.  In 1794 this was increased to 15 stripes and 15 stars.  In 1818, as the union was about to expand to 20 states, the number of stripes was returned to the original 13.  A star was then to be added on the 4^th of July following the admittance of a new state to the union.  President Taft signed the Executive Order in 1912 that laid out specific proportions of the flag, including that the stars be in six rows of eight with a single point upward.  In 1959, President Eisenhower signed two Executive Orders that provided for the arrangment of the stars to reflect the admission of Alaska and finally, Hawaii to the Union. 

The specifications of the flag read like a math problem from school! The hoist (width) of the union = A x 7/13.  The fly (length) of the union = B x 2/5. 

Note: This photo was taken at Maxwelton Beach, Whidbey Island, Washington on July 4, 2010.