In May of 1776, Betsy Ross reported that she sewed the first American flag.

On June 14, 1777, in order to establish an official flag for the new nation, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act: "Resolved, that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."

Between 1777 and 1960, Congress passed several acts that changed the shape, design and arrangement of the flag and allowed for additional stars and stripes to be added to reflect the admission of each new state.

• Act of January 13, 1794 - provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795.

• Act of April 4, 1818 - provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state, to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following the admission of each new state, signed by President Monroe.
• Executive Order of President Taft dated June 24, 1912 - established proportions of the flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in six horizontal rows of eight each, a single point of each star to be upward.
• Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated January 3, 1959 - provided for the arrangement of the stars in seven rows of seven stars each, staggered horizontally and vertically.
• Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated August 21, 1959 - provided for the arrangement of the stars in nine rows of stars staggered horizontally and eleven rows of stars staggered vertically.

Today the flag consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with 6 white. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies, the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well: Red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor, White symbolizes Purity and Innocence and Blue represents Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.

***

Federal law stipulates many aspects of flag etiquette. The section of law dealing with American Flag etiquette is generally referred to as the Flag Code. Some general guidelines from the Flag Code answer many of the most common questions:

• The flag should be lighted at all times, either by sunlight or by an appropriate light source.
• The flag should be flown in fair weather, unless the flag is designed for inclement weather use.
• The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.
• The flag should not be used for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.
• The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard.
• The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.
• The flag should never have any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind placed on it, or attached to it.
• The flag should never be used for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
• When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.
• The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.
• When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of the country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.

v It costs more to buy a new car today in the United States than it cost Christopher Columbus to equip and undertake three voyages to the New World.

v During the American Revolution, inflation was so great that the price of corn rose 10,000%, the price of wheat 14,000%, the price of flour 15,000%, and the price of beef 33,000%.

v 32% of all land in the US is owned by the federal government.

v In 1796, two brothers ran against each other for President of the United States. Charles Pinckney and his younger brother Thomas (both from South Carolina) both received electoral votes, but John Adams won the election. It was the only time in US history that two brothers got electoral votes for President in the same election.

v Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that US Supreme Court justices have to be lawyers or have any legal training. In fact, several justices in the court's history had never attended law school. James Byrnes, on the court from 1941 to 1942, had little formal education and never attended college.

v Since World War II, every American president to address the Canadian House of Commons in their first term of office have all been reelected to a second term. Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, and Clinton have all had the honor, while Kennedy, Johnson, Ford, Carter, and Bush did not address the parliament.

v There was some question as to whether Barry Goldwater could legally serve as President. The Constitution requires presidents to be born in the United States. Goldwater was born in Arizona before it was a state.

v The first President to ride in an automobile was William McKinley. After being shot, he was taken to the hospital in a 1901 Columbia electric ambulance.

v Warren G. Harding was the first American President to visit Canada. He stopped in Vancouver, British Columbia, while he was on his way to Alaska.

v Jimmy Carter was the first president born in a hospital.

v Andrew Jackson was the only US President to believe that the world is flat.

v Gerald Ford was the only man who held both the Presidency and the Vice- Presidency but who was not elected to either post.

v George Washington was deathly afraid of being buried alive. After he died, he wanted to be laid out for three days just to make sure he was really dead.

v The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.

v Ohio is listed as the 17th state in the U.S., but technically it is number 47. Until August 7, 1953, Congress forgot to vote on a resolution to admit Ohio to the Union.

v Original copy of the Declaration of Independence is lost. The copy in Washington D.C. is what is referred to as a holograph. That is a term for a handmade copy of a document and is not the same as a laser produced hologram.

v Alexander Hamilton was shot by Aaron Burr in the groin.

v Only two people, John Hancock and Charles Thomson signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until five years later.

v The United States has never lost a war in which mules were used.

Alexander Hamilton

the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, and political philosopher.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-19