10 interesting american flag facts
- Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and The Star-Spangled Banner (also the name of the national anthem).
- The five pointed stars is used as symbol in states like Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and the once sovereign nations of the Republic of Texas and the Kingdom of Hawaii.
- The flag has been changed 26 times since the new, 13-state union adopted it.
- The fifty stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states and the 13 stripes represent the original thirteen colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states in the Union.
- When the flag is affixed to the side of a vehicle or uniform, it should be oriented so that the union is towards the front.
- On Memorial Day it is common to place small flags by war memorials and next to the graves of U.S. war veterans.
- Only State Governors and the President of the United States order when the flags on government buildings are to be set at half staff.
- The flag is displayed at half-staff (half-mast in naval usage) as a sign of respect or mourning.
- The flag of the United States is one of the nation's most widely recognized symbols.
- There’s a theory that the red and white stripes on the flag were based on George Washington’s coat of arms.
