What we know fondly as the “Stars and Stripes” was adopted by the Continental Congress as the official American flag on June 14, 1777, in the midst of the Revolutionary War. Colonial troops fought under many different flags with various symbols and slogans–rattlesnakes, pine trees, and eagles; “Don’t Tread on Me,” “Liberty or Death,” and “Conquer or Die,” to name a few. The first flag had 13 stars on a blue field and 13 alternating red and white stripes for the 13 original colonies. Now there are 50 stars, one for each state in the Union, but the 13 stripes remain. Although many people believe that Betsy Ross designed and sewed the first flag, there is no proof of that. Flag Day was first celebrated in 1877, on the flag’s 100th birthday.
Every Year
1770s
- 1775: THE UNITED STATES ARMY WAS ESTABLISHED
- 1777: STARS AND STRIPES ADOPTED BY CONGRESS AS THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES
1800s
1810s
1820s
1830s
1900s
- 1900: THE REPUBLIC OF HAWAII BECAME A U. S. TERRITORY
- DIED 1908: THE EARL OF DERBY(CANADIAN GOVERNOR GENERAL 1888-1893)
- BORN 1909: BURL IVES (SINGER & CHARACTER ACTOR)
1910s
1920s
- DIED 1926: MARY CASSATT (PAINTER)
- BORN 1929: THOMAS J. KELLY (ENGINEER, DUBBED “FATHER OF THE LUNAR MODULE”)
1930s
1940s
1950s
- 1956: US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION ANNOUNCED THE DISCOVERY OF THE NEUTRINO, AN ATOMIC PARTICLE WITH NO ELECTRICAL CHARGE
- 1956: DISCOVERY OF THE NEUTRINO ANNOUNCED
- BORN 1958: ERIC HEIDEN (SPEED SKATER)
1960s
1980s
1990s
- DIED 1991: PEGGY ASHCROFT (ACTRESS)
- BORN 1992: DARYL SABARA (ACTOR WHO STARRED AS JUNI CORTEZ IN THE SPY KIDS MOVIE SERIES)
- 1994: THE NEW YORK RANGERS WON THEIR FIRST STANLEY CUP IN 54 YEARS, BEATING VANCOUVER, 3-2, IN GAME 7 AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
- DIED 1994: HENRY MANCINI (COMPOSER)
- 1994: COWS GATHERED AROUND A JUST-FALLEN METEORITE FRAGMENT IN ST. ROBERT, QUEBEC
2000s
- 2004: A TRACTOR-TRAILER OVERTURNED ON A HIGHWAY IN BEAR TRAP CANYON, MONTANA, SPILLING ITS LOAD OF HUNDREDS OF BEEHIVES AND UNLEASHING SOME NINE MILLION ANGRY HONEYBEES
- 2005: A 7.0-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE STRUCK ABOUT 90 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE COASTAL COMMUNITY OF CRESCENT CITY, CALIFORNIA, AND 300 MILES NORTHWEST OF SAN FRANCISCO
COURTESY www.almanac.com
