Happy Flag Day!

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the US.

Back then, the first flag had 13 stripes alternating between red and white and the same number of white stars on a blue background. Each star and stripe represented a Colony, united nearly one year earlier by the Declaration of Independence.

From 1790 to 1959 there were a further 26 changes made to the flag as more colonies were added with the last being Hawaii. The 50-star flag was flown for the first time on July 4, 1960.

The colour white is used on the flag to signify purity; the red is for valor; and, the blue is to signify justice. Some of the nicknames for the American flag are “old glory,” “star-spangled banner,” “red, white and blue” and “stars and stripes.”

There are six American flags on the moon, five of which are still standing and the flag is always flying at the White House, Fort McHenry in Baltimore and the Iwo Jima Memorials in Arlington, Virginia.

The Pledge of Allegiance was penned in 1892, and it reads, “I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

One of the many flags being flown in High Meadow Ranch today!