Flag Day trivia | 46 facts about this holiday

Flag Day is celebrated in the United States on June 14th. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.

So let’s find out some trivia and facts about this national holiday!

1. In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14
2. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress
3. The Flag Resolution, passed on June 14, 1777
4. This design was created by Francis Hopkinson, a Continental Congressman from New Jersey and a consultant to the design of the Great Seal of the United States
5. The United States Army also celebrates the U.S. Army birthday on this date
6. Congress adopted “the American continental army” after reaching a consensus position in the Committee of the Whole on June 14, 1775
7. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day
8. On August 3, 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress
9. Flag Day is not an official federal holiday
10. Title 36 of the United States Code, Subtitle I, Part A, CHAPTER 1, § 110 is the official statute on Flag Day
11. However, it is at the president’s discretion to officially proclaim the observance
12. On June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday, beginning in the town of Rennerdale
13. New York Statutes designate the second Sunday in June as Flag Day
14. Thus making it a state holiday
15. Perhaps the oldest continuing Flag Day parade is in Fairfield, Washington
16. Beginning in 1909 or 1910, Fairfield has held a parade every year since
17. With one possible exception in 1918
18. The parade celebrated the “Centennial” parade in 2010, along with some other commemorative events
19. Appleton, Wisconsin, claims to be the oldest National Flag Day parade in the nation, held annually since 1950
20. Quincy, Massachusetts, has had an annual Flag Day parade since 1952
21. The city claims it “is the longest-running parade of its kind” in the U.S
22. The largest Flag Day parade had been held annually in Troy, New York until 2017
23. It based its parade on the Quincy parade and typically draws 50,000 spectators
24. In addition, the Three Oaks, Michigan, Flag Day Parade is held annually on the weekend of Flag Day
25. It is a three-day event
26. They claim to have the largest flag day parade in the nation as well as the oldest
27. In Washington, D.C., Flag Day is celebrated heavily through the 7th and 8th Wards of the city
28. It is said that Clyde Thompson is the “Godfather of Flag Day”
29. It is tradition in these wards to slow smoke various meats and vegetables
30. The week of June 14 (June 09–15, 2019, June 14–20, 2020, June 13–19, 2021) is designated as “National Flag Week”
31. During National Flag Week, the president will issue a proclamation “urging the people to observe the day as the anniversary of the adoption on June 14, 1777, by the Continental Congress of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States of America”
32. The flag should also be displayed on all government buildings
33. Some organizations, such as the town of Dedham, Massachusetts, hold parades and events in celebration of America’s national flag and everything it represents
34. The National Flag Day Foundation holds an annual observance for Flag Day on the second Sunday in June (June 09, 2019, June 14, 2020, June 13, 2021)
35. The program includes a ceremonial raising of the national flag, the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, the singing of the national anthem, a parade and other events
36. The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House in Baltimore, Maryland, birthplace of the 1813 flag that inspired Francis Scott Key (1779–1843) to pen his famous poem a year later, has celebrated Flag Day since the 1927
37. In that year, a museum was created in the home of flag-banner-pennant maker Mary Pickersgill on the historic property
38. The annual celebrations on Flag Day and also Defenders Day (September 12, since 1814) commemorates the Star-Spangled Banner and its creator Mary Pickersgill
39. The Betsy Ross House, home of legendary Betsy Ross has long been the site of Philadelphia’s observance of Flag Day
40. Coincidentally, June 14 is also the date for the annual anniversary of the Bear Flag Revolt in California
41. On June 14, 1846, 33 American settlers and mountain men arrested the Mexican general in command at Sonoma
42. They declared the “Bear Flag Republic” on the Pacific Ocean coast as an independent nation
43. A flag emblazoned with a bear, a red stripe, a star and the words “California Republic” was raised to symbolize independence from Mexico of the former province of Alta California
44. The Bear Flag was adopted as California’s state flag upon joining the Union as the 31st state in 1850
45. After being annexed by the United States following the Mexican–American War of 1846-1849
46. Prominently flying both the U.S.A. and state flags on June 14 is a tradition for some Californians