President Trump shares birthday with Flag Day. 10 things to know about national holiday
That all changed on June 14, 1777, when Congress passed the Flag Resolution of 1777, establishing the U.S. flag with 13 alternating stripes of red and white, and a union of white stars on a blue field. While the number of stars has changed over the last 248 years, the overall design has not.
But it took more than 170 years before Flag Day became a national holiday, celebrated on June 14 every year.
"The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing, according to the official Flag Code."
'Flag Day is an honor and tradition that displays the national flag with pride and happiness," said Anniston Army Depot Sgt. Maj. Happiness Brown on army.mil. "It is an annual observance which reminds us of the dedication and sacrifices made by our military service members. It's also a time to pray for our troops, those at home and abroad."
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution on the new country's flag design.
"That the flag of the United States shall be of thirteen stripes of alternate red and white, with a union of thirteen stars of white in a blue field, representing the new constellation," the resolution read.
A flag of this design was first carried into battle less than three months later, on Sept. 11, 1777, in the Battle of the Brandywine, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
"In the late 1800s, schools all over the United States held Flag Day programs to contribute to the Americanization of immigrant children, and the observance caught on with individual communities," according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, according to the Library of Congress. Both Wilson, in 1916, and President Coolidge, in 1927, issued proclamations asking for June 14 to be observed as National Flag Day.
Congressional legislation designating the date as national Flag Day wasn't signed into law until 1949 by President Harry Truman. The legislation also called upon the president to issue a Flag Day proclamation every year.
President Trump was born on Flag Day on June 14, 1946. "I am blessed to have shared my birthday with the Star Spangled Banner and the U.S. Army," he said.
➤ US Army's 250th anniversary a celebration that coincides with Trump's birthday. How to attend
In 2017, he proclaimed not only Flag Day but Flag Week, saying, "On Flag Day, we honor the symbol that reminds us that we are one Nation under God, united in our pursuit of liberty and justice for all.
"By honoring our flag, we pay due respect to the patriots and heroes who have laid down their lives in defense of the liberty it represents.
"The Congress also requested, in 1966, that the President annually issue a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as 'National Flag Week' and call upon citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week."
"According to legend, in 1776, George Washington commissioned Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross to create a flag for the new nation.
"Scholars, however, credit the flag's design to Francis Hopkinson, who also designed the Great Seal and first coin of the United States. Even so, Ross most likely met Washington and certainly sewed early American flags in her family's Philadelphia upholstery shop," according to the Library of Congress.
There have been 27 official versions of the flag, but the arrangement of the stars has varied according to the flag-makers' preferences until 1912. That's when President Taft standardized the then-new flag's 48 stars, according to the Library of Congress.
That changed when Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959.
The current version of the flag dates to July 4, 1960.
The current American flag was designed by Bob G. Heft, a high school student from Lancaster, Ohio, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
"Even though Bob's history teacher gave him a B- for not knowing how many states the Union had, Bob submitted his design to the White House (unprompted) in anticipation of Hawaii and Alaska joining the Union. To his surprise, President Eisenhower called him! Today, it's Bob Heft's 1958 design — showing 50 stars in a field that included five rows of six stars and four rows of five stars — which is now our 50-star American flag."
Heft's teacher changed his grade to an A.
The Continental Congress left no record explaining why it chose red, white and blue for the country's new flag.
In 1782, the Congress of the Articles of Confederation chose the colors for the Great Seal of the United States with these meanings:
white for purity and innocence
red for valor and hardiness
blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice
The U.S. Flag Code provides guidelines on how to display and care for the U.S. flag. Flags should always hang freely but never with the stars down, except as a distress signal.
The U.S. flag flies above any other flag.
Never use the flag for decoration. Use bunting with the blue on top, then white, then red.
It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated at night.
When a flag becomes unfit to fly, it should be destroyed with dignity.
Do not let the flag touch the ground.
Do not fly flag upside down unless there is an emergency.
Do not carry the flag flat, or carry things in it.
Do not use the flag as clothing.
Do not store the flag where it can get dirty.
Do not use it as a cover.
Do not fasten it or tie it back. Always allow it to fall free.
Do not draw on, or otherwise mark the flag.
No. The flag should be flown at full-staff, at the top of the pole on Flag Day.
No, Flag Day is not a federal holiday, but the president traditionally proclaims its observance every year. The date, June 14, remains the same, no matter which day of the week it falls.
Here are 2025 federal holidays:
Jan. 1: New Year's Day
Jan. 20: Inauguration Day; Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 17: Washington's Birthday. Many state and local governments designation it as Presidents Day.
May 26: Memorial Day
June 19: Juneteenth
July 4: Independence Day
Sept. 1: Labor Day
Oct. 13: Columbus Day
Nov. 11: Veterans Day
Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day
Dec. 25: Christmas Day
Contributing: Janet Loehrke, USA Today Network
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 10 things to know about Flag Day, President Trump's birthday
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10 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
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