How Flag Day Became a National Holiday
June 14 honors the day the Stars and Stripes was born in 1777. The road to a national Flag Day took two centuries, a Wisconsin schoolteacher, and two presidents.
Read the story →Flag Stories
The history and meaning behind Old Glory
Stories from the long life of the United States Flag, its origins, its traditions, and the people who shaped it.
Flag History · 5 min read
Flag Etiquette · 5 min read
How to Dispose of an American Flag the Right Way
The Flag Code calls for retiring a worn flag in a dignified way, preferably by burning. What that means in practice, and where to take an old flag.
Read the story → Flag Etiquette · 6 min read
When Is the Flag Flown at Half-Staff?
Who can order it, the days fixed by law each year, how long the flag stays lowered, and the right way to raise and lower it.
Read the story → Flag History · 6 min read
The History and Evolution of the American Flag
From the Grand Union Flag of 1775 to the 50-star banner of 1960, the flag has been officially changed 27 times. How the Stars and Stripes took shape.
Read the story →
Flag History · 6 min read
Where to See Famous American Flags
The Star-Spangled Banner, Old Glory, the Iwo Jima flags, and the Ground Zero flag: where America’s most historic flags live today.
Read the story → Flag Facts · 5 min read
The Largest American Superflags in the Country
From a Guinness World Record flag the size of a city block to the giant banner on the George Washington Bridge, America’s biggest flags.
Read the story → Civic Life · 7 min read
Patriotic Nonprofits Worth Knowing
Ten organizations that put love of country into practice, serving veterans, military families, and the flag itself.
Read the story → Flag History · 4 min read
The History Behind Constitution Day, September 17
Thirty-nine delegates signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787. How that date became a national observance, and why the flag flies for it.
Read the story → Flag Facts · 6 min read
10 Fascinating Facts About the American Flag
From the teenager who designed it to the six flags standing on the Moon, ten things you may not know about the United States Flag.
Read the story → Flag History · 5 min read
The High Schooler Who Designed the 50-Star Flag
In 1958, an Ohio teenager sewed a 50-star flag for a class project and earned a B minus. Two years later it was flying over the Capitol.
Read the story → Flag Etiquette · 5 min read
The Meaning Behind the 13 Folds of the Flag
At a military funeral the flag is folded into a triangle with 13 careful folds. How it is done, and the tradition that gives each fold meaning.
Read the story →
Flag History · 5 min read
The True Story of a Flag Named Old Glory
Old Glory began as one specific flag, owned by a sea captain who hid it in his bedding to save it from the Confederate army.
Read the story →