Today's Holiday: Flag Day

Spotlight: June 14 is Flag Day in the United States. It has been 232 years since the Stars and Stripes was officially adopted as the nation's flag. The first Flag Act called for the flag to consist of 13 stripes, alternating red and white, and 13 stars, representing the 13 colonies, which would be white on a blue background. In 1818, the design was adapted to include a star for each state. The term "Stars and Stripes," coined by Marquis de Lafayette to describe the United States, became a common nickname for the country's flag. Later, the name "Old Glory" was used by ship captain William Driver for a flag that was presented to him as a gift and that he fought to protect.

Quote:

"O! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?" — Francis Scott Key, "The Star-Spangled Banner"