It flew at Yorktown when the American Revolution ended. It flapped at Gettysburg in November 1863, when Abraham Lincoln spoke his memorable words. It’s Old Glory. Well, yes – and no. The term “Old Glory” has become synonymous with “American flag” and “the Stars and Stripes.” Originally, however, Old Glory was not a generic term…. continue
People marked St. Patrick’s Day in many ways: eating corned beef and green cabbage, drinking green beer, and “the wearin’ o’ the green.” So why does the national flag of Ireland have two colors in addition to the hue that has traditionally represented that country? The World Factbook describes the Irish flag as having “three… continue
If you go to the website of Congressman Mike Thompson of California, you’ll see several flags. A U.S. flag flies, appropriately, on his banner. You click on another flag to get information for veterans. Guidelines can also be found for arranging to receive an Old Glory that was flown over the U.S. Capitol. There is… continue
The recent Academy Awards focused everyone’s attention on the movies. With the Oscars having been handed out, cast your mind backwards well more than a century to answer a question, “What was the first film to show a flag?” For the answer, go to the website of the Library of Congress (www.loc.gov) and do some… continue
On March 5, 1864, eight months after Northern victories in Gettysburg and Vicksburg, members of the newly-formed Twentieth United States Colored Troops assembled in New York City for a send-off ceremony that featured flags and ovations from tens of thousands of white people. The New York Times described the ceremony as “a thousand men, with… continue