History Lessons

Memorial Day, Clara Barton and flags

Decoration Day parade in Texas in 1916, 100 years ago (Library of Congress)

Three major national holidays that unfurl flags are fast approaching: Memorial Day at the end of May, Flag Day on June 14 and the Fourth of July. The problem with such familiar occasions is that we often forget their original meaning and focus instead on picnics and fireworks. Shortly after the Civil War, Memorial Day… continue

History Lessons

Oklahoma gets state flag by Fluke

Oklahoma state flag

The story of Oklahoma’s state flag is actually a Fluke. A Louise Fluke, that is. In 1911, 105 years ago, Oklahoma revealed its first flag. It was a fluke in the usual sense. Using the red, white and blue colors of Old Glory, the state banner sported a white star with “46” in the middle,… continue

History Lessons

Teen’s flags trigger international flap

Chou Tzu-yu

Flags are usually positive. Flags are often expressions of happiness. Flags can be celebratory. And, sometimes, flags can get you in trouble, as a teen pop star discovered. Chou Tzu-yu, a 16-year-old singer from Taiwan who was raised in a section of the island that hopes for independence from China, recently appeared on TV with… continue

History Lessons

Poet inspired by American flag

An officer rallies his flag-following troops

Walt Whitman, one of America’s finest poets, spent much of the Civil War in Washington, D.C., working in hospitals and caring for wounded servicemen. In April 1864, he sent a letter to his mother to share how the American flag affected soldiers and himself. “You don’t know,” he wrote, “what a feeling a man gets… continue

History Lessons

Flag color White House red, white and blue

American flag flies on White House in 1929 while President Hoover stands next to one to welcome teens. (Library of Congress)

Voters are voting, candidates are campaigning, and reporters are recording. It’s the year of a presidential election, and a new chief executive will move into the White House next January. But one thing will remain consistent: American flags displayed inside and waving outside the most famous home in the nation. The following stories, listed chronologically,… continue