By James Breig Baseball and flags have had a long relationship – and not just through the singing of “Oh, Say, Can You See” before every game. After all, what are the pro teams chasing throughout their 162-game season? They’re after a pennant! Fans follow the pennant races throughout the spring and summer, but we… continue
The expression “he wrapped himself in the flag” has a negative connotation that implies someone is using patriotism to disguise baser motives. In the 19th century, however, some people – most of them military figures — were literally wrapped in flags as part of their funeral ceremonies. In 1840, for instance, the last request of… continue
The ongoing sesquicentennial of the Civil War is leading, inexorably, to the 150th anniversary of the 1865 assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, who died within days of the surrender of General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, Virginia. Flags played a role at both the beginning of the war and in the death of Lincoln. In… continue