US Virgin Islands Flag

July 17, 2009 ~ Shana Kovatch ~ Leave a comment

The Virgin Islands were originally discovered and named by Christopher Columbus in the year 1493. The islands were originally named for Saint Ursula and her virgin followers, and they were under the control of at least 5 different European countries over the first 300 years of the islands’ existence (Spain, England, Netherlands, France and Denmark). The Virgin Islands were held under Danish control however, from the year 1672 until they were purchased by the United States on January 17, 1917. The United States took control of the territory on March 31st of that same year, thus the islands were officially renamed the Virgin Islands of the United States.

The Virgin Islands of the United States consist of a group of islands located in the Caribbean sea, about 90 miles east of Puerto Rico. The Virgin Islands are made up of many small islands; however the notable ones include the islands of Saint Croix, Saint John, Water Island, and Saint Thomas.

The United States Virgin Islands flag was officially adopted in the year 1921. The design is strikingly simple; it consists of little more than a simplified variant of the Seal of the United States of America placed atop a white background. To the immediate left and right of the seal on the flag sit the letters “V” and “I”, representing of course the name of the islands.

One interesting thing to note about the symbol on the flag is the three arrows being held by the eagle in its left talon. This is of course symbolic of the three major islands that make up the Virgin Islands – Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix.

Also, interestingly enough, the original design was drawn by a cartoonist named Percival Wilson Sparks. Once approved, the design for the US Virgin Islands flag was embroidered by the cartoonist’s wife Grace – thus the flag was born.

Connecticut Flag

July 13, 2009 ~ Stacey Patrick ~ 2 Comments

The Connecticut flag has perhaps one of the simplest designs of any American state flag. It consists of a simple design on top of a light blue background. In the middle of the Connecticut flag sits a white baroque shield along with three grapevines which each bear three bunches of purple grapes. The banner below the white shield of the Connecticut flag displays the state motto, “Qui Transtulit Sustinet” or, “He who transplants, sustains”.

The design for the Connecticut flag is directly derived from the seal of Saybrook Colony, when it was established in the year 1639. In the original Saybrook Colony seal, there was a display of 15 grapevines along with a hand in the upper left hand corner displaying the words “Sustinet qui transtulit”. The Saybrook Colony seal was eventually transferred to Connecticut in the year 1644, when Connecticut bought the colony.

On October 15, 1711, the seal was altered again. The Connecticut governor and legislature altered the seal to contain only 3 grapevines instead of the original 15. This was meant to symbolize the original 3 Connecticut settlements of Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford.

The Connecticut General Assembly of 1897 provided an official description of the Connecticut flag. The official dimensions of the flag are meant to be 5′ 6” in length and 4’4” in width. The official colors of the Connecticut flag are an azure blue silk background with the armorial bearing in argent white silk. The design of the crest on the Connecticut flag should be displayed in natural colors and the border of the shield should be embroidered in gold and silver. Below the shield should be a white streamer, cleft at each end, bordered in gold and brown. The motto on the streamer should also be dark blue in color.

Colorado Flag

July 10, 2009 ~ Stacey Patrick ~ Leave a comment

The Colorado flag consists of one of the simplest, yet perhaps most interesting designs of any flag in the Union. The Colorado flag consists of three horizontal stripes of equal width. The middle stripe is white, while the top and bottom stripes are colored blue. On top of the 3 stripes of the Colorado flag sits a red “C” filled with a golden circle.

According to numerous reports, the colors of the Colorado flag represent the following:

The blue stripes on the Colorado flag are meant to represent the Colorado skies
The golden circle inside of the red “C” is meant to represent the sunshine enjoyed by the state of Colorado
The white stripe across the middle of the Colorado flag represents the snowcapped mountains
The red of the “C” is meant to represent the earth

The Colorado flag was originally designed by a man named Andrew Carlisle Carson in 1911. On June 5th of that same year, this same Colorado flag was officially adopted by the state’s General Assembly. The official colors of the flag were not, however, decided upon by the General Assembly until 18 years later on February 29, 1929. It was eventually declared that the red and blue of the Colorado flag would be the same exact colors as the American flag. Years later, on March 31, 1964, the legislature further declared that the diameter of the gold disc should be equal to the width of the center white stripe.

One interesting thing to note about the Colorado flag is the fact that it is incorporated into all of Colorado’s state highway signs. Also, in a 2001 survey by the North American Vexillogical Association, the Colorado flag was ranked as the 16th best flag as compared by 72 other state, provincial, and territory flags in North America.

First Flag On The Moon

July 6, 2009 ~ Tommy McLaughlin ~ Leave a comment

The first flag to be planted on the moon by human hands was an American flag. It was displayed by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 21, 1969. Armstrong and Aldrin were members of the crew of the Apollo 11, the first manned spacecraft to land on the surface of the moon. It was Armstrong who first stepped onto the moon’s surface, uttering the now well-known line “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Armstrong and Aldrin worked together to plant the pole that displayed the American flag. Photos taken of this first flag on the moon have been the source of some controversy. The flag stands away from the pole, as if being lifted by a brisk breeze. Yet it’s fairly well known that there is no air in the moon’s atmosphere and therefore no way that a breeze could make the flag fly.

A clever trick on the part of Apollo 11 engineers created the illusion of a flag flying on the surface of the moon. They started with an off-the-shelf flag and then added a pocket to the top of the flag through which a collapsible horizontal rod was inserted. This collapsible rod was attached to the flagpole, making the flag stand away from the flagpole at a perpendicular angle. One small glitch occurred when the rod wouldn’t fully extend, making the flag look rippled rather than smooth. This ripple effect actually enhanced the illusion that the flag was waving in the breeze.

The effect was very successful, especially compared to the limp look the flag would have had without its horizontal support bar. The photo of the First Flag on the Moon is now remembered as one of the most significant flag images in the history of the United States. Today there are six U.S. flags on the lunar surface, each planted by a different Apollo mission.

What the American Flag Symbolizes

July 1, 2009 ~ waterfallbooks ~ Leave a comment

I took a walk today in the cemetery near my home. A portion of the cemetery is dedicated to those who served in the American Armed Forces. What caught my attention was the fluttering of hundreds of flags. Each seemed to stand as a silent thank you for the service of each man and woman.

A flag is more than just a piece of cloth. It is a symbol of so much more. It stands for a country, a government, and a set of ideas. The American flag symbolizes laws laid out in the Constitution, freedoms given in the Bill of Rights, and the risk taken by the Declaration of Independence.

Contrary to popular belief, the colors of the American flag did not have any symbolic meaning when it was first adopted; however the colors of the flag-like portion of the Great Seal do have meaning. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, stated, “White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue . . . signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.” It was quite fitting these colors should fly over the graves of those had given their all.

The stars of the flag, however, do have symbolism. The resolution adopted on June 14, 1777, reads, “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.” As the many stars formed one design, the many states formed one country.

I continued walking past the flags and I noticed a few of them had fallen over. If they had just been an old rag or even one of the flower displays left on some of the graves, I would have ignored them. But they were flags, lying on the ground. They were a symbol of my country, of my freedom to walk in the sunshine and to say what I chose and to worship how I please.

I picked up the flags and set them back in their places. And I smiled in silent thanks.

Katie Hart

California Flag

June 22, 2009 ~ Stacey Patrick ~ Leave a comment

The California flag has perhaps one of the most interesting histories of any state flag in the Union. The original version of the California flag was first flown in the year 1846 during the Bear Flag Revolt. Because of the obvious Bear in the middle of the California flag, the California flag has also been called the Bear Flag.

The California flag was first designed by William L. Todd, the nephew of Mary Todd – wife of Abraham Lincoln. According to reports, the star on the California flag was actually influenced by the 1836 California Lone Star Flag. The original California flag was actually designed in blackberry juice, and the bear on the California flag was designed to be a symbol of strength and unyielding resistance.
The first version of the California flag represented California for only a brief time – from June 14th to July 9th, 1846. On July 7th, 1846 Commodore John Drake Sloat of the US Navyfirst raised the 28-star American flag at the capital of California, thus claiming the territory for the United States. Two days later, on July 9, 1846, Joseph Warren Revere of the United States Navy hauled down the California Bear Flag in Sonoma, and replaced it with the American Stars and Stripes. The California Bear Flag was then given to a young man by the name of John E. Montgomery, who later wrote in a letter to his mother, “Cuffy came down growling”. “Cuffy” was Montgomery’s nickname for the bear on the California flag.

The original California flag was eventually returned to California in 1855 when it was given to California Senators William M. Gwin and John B Weller. The original California Flag was preserved at the Pioneer Halls in San Francisco until it was destroyed on April 18, 1906 in the fires that followed the great San Francisco earthquake.

Arkansas Flag

June 11, 2009June 11, 2009 ~ Stacey Patrick ~ 1 Comment

The Arkansas Flag consists of a red field decorated with a large white diamond with a blue border. The Arkansas flag contains twenty nine five-pointed stars. Twenty-five small white stars appear within the blue border, and four larger blue stars appear in the white diamond. The word “ARKANSAS” appears in blue inside the white diamond, with one star above and three below.

The design for the Arkansas Flag was created by Willie Kavanaugh Hocker of Wabbaseka in the year 1912. In 1912, Daughters of the American Revolution of the Pine Bluff chapter wanted to create an official Arkansas Flag to present for the commissioning of the battleship USS Arkansas.

When it was originally discovered that Arkansas did not yet have a state flag, the Daughters of the American Revolution decided to sponsor a contest to design an official Arkansas Flag. Willie Hocker, a member of the Pine Bluff chapter of the Daughters, won the contest with a design that is similar to the current Arkansas Flag. Mrs. Hocker designed a flag that consisted of three blue stars in the middle of a white diamond, however the word “ARKANSAS” was omitted. At the request of Secretary of State Earle Hodges, chairman of the Arkansas Flag committee, Hocker eventually added the word “ARKANSAS” and also rearranged the stars to their current design and location. This version of the Arkansas Flag was adopted by the legislature on February 26, 1913.

In 1923, the legislature decided to alter the Arkansas Flag, and added a fourth star to represent the Confederate States of America. This fourth star was originally placed on the Arkansas Flag so that there were two stars above the state name along with two below. This design for the Arkansas flag was meant to include the Confederacy alongside France, Spain, and the United States. This however disturbed the other two meanings of the original three stars, and so it was corrected by the legislature in 1924. The Confederate star was eventually above “ARKANSAS” and the original three stars were placed below it, just as it is today.

Free American Flag Giveaway

June 8, 2009June 9, 2009 ~ Tommy McLaughlin ~ Leave a comment

The United States Flag Store to give away 2,000 free American Flags

New Stanton, PA June 5, 2009– The United States Flag Store announced plans today to give away 2,000 American flags for free on a first-come, first-served basis. The announcement comes on the heels of the company’s latest endeavor into the rapidly growing world of social media – most notably, Twitter.

In celebration of their debut onto one of the fastest growing websites in recent history, the United States Flag Store plans to give out 2,000 2 ½’ x 4’ Annin American flags for free to their next 2,000 Twitter followers. Thanks again to the world’s largest online flag store, customers all over the world are now only a simple mouse click away from receiving a free American flag, just in time for the 4th of July.

This latest promotion by the United States Flag Store is sure to generate some well deserved attention for the company, who has continued to experience truly unprecedented growth since its inception in early 2001 – due in large part to their truly incredible product line.

About the United States Flag Store
The United States Flag Store is the single largest part of the Online Stores, Inc. family. Founded by Lisa and Kevin Hickey in 2002, Online Stores, Inc. is a rapidly growing, family owned company based near Pittsburgh, PA. Three times voted among America’s Top 500 Internet Retailers, Online Stores operates nine internet retail stores including the United States Flag Store, the most popular retail flag website, and the English Tea Store, the second most popular tea website as ranked by Alexa.com.

For your free flag, be sure to visit http://flags.me/special-events today!

Arizona Flag

June 5, 2009June 5, 2009 ~ Tommy McLaughlin ~ 2 Comments

The Arizona Flag originated in the year 1910, when the head of the Arizona National Guard, Colonel Charles W. Harris set out to design a flag for the Arizona Rifle Team at the National Matches of that year. In prior years, Arizona had been the only team to compete at the National Matches without a flag, thus the Arizona Flag as we know it today was born.

The Arizona Flag consists of 13 rays of red and gold on the top half of the flag. These rays supposedly represent both the rays of the Western setting sun as well as the original 13 counties of Arizona. The actual red and gold colors likely originate from the flags of the conquistadors of Spain. Red and gold were the colors carried by Coronado in his search of the Seven Cities of Cibola in the year 1540.

The Arizona Flag also contains a copper colored star in the center of the flag, which represents the copper mining industry in Arizona. At the time of inception of the Arizona Flag, Arizona was the largest producer of copper in the nation. The rest of the flag is colored blue, which – just as the American Flag– is meant to represent liberty.

The Arizona Flag was adopted as the official flag on February 17, 1917 by the third state legislature. Interestingly enough, it was actually passed into law without the signature of then Governor Thomas Campbell. To this day, there is no record of the governor ever issuing an official statement as to why he decided to not take action on the bill.

In a study done in 2001, the Arizona flag was voted among the top 10 best flags on the continent. The Arizona flag was ranked 6th out of 72 flags in North America for overall design and quality.

–Stacey Patrick

Alaska Flag

May 27, 2009 ~ Stacey Patrick ~ 1 Comment

The Alaska flag truly does have an interesting history. Although the Alaska flag was not adopted for official state use until 1959, it was actually created much earlier– in 1926.

The Alaska Flag of consists of eight gold stars, that together form the Big Dipper and the North Star, all emblazoned upon a dark blue field. The first seven of the stars on the Alaska Flag are supposedly from the constellation Ursa Major (the Big Dipper). The eighth star on the Alaska Flag represents the North Star, symbolizing Alaska’s being the northern most state. The blue field of the Alaska Flag represents the sky, the sea and mountain lakes, and also Alaska’s wildflowers.

The Alaska flag was designed in 1927 by a 13-year-old Native American boy named Bennie Benson, who resided in Seward. There was a contest established to create a flag for Alaska- what was then simply the “Alaska Territory”. Benson’s design for the Alaska Flag was chosen over roughly 700 other submissions from schoolchildren ranging from grades 7-12 territory-wide.

In celebration of his achievement, Benson was awarded $1,000 along with an engraved watch. Most of the other students’ entries featured variations on the traditional territorial seal, the midnight sun, northern lights, polar bears, and others of the like.

Until this time, Alaskans had generally flown only the U.S. flag since the territory was purchased from Russia in 1867, however the Alaska Legislature soon adopted Benson’s Alaska Flag design. Benson’s Alaska Flag design became the official Alaska Flag for the Territory of Alaska on May 2, 1927. The very first flag made based on Benson’s design was made of blue silk and gold stars, and was inaugurally flown on July 9, 1927. Benson’s original design for the Alaska Flag was retained as the official Alaska State Flag upon declaration of statehood in 1959.