Flag Day

Happy Flag Day Everyone!

     Tonight I was lucky enough to have dinner with Greg, his brother Ryan, roommate Juan, and his mother Bette.  I was doubly lucky that Lisa and Riley came too!  If you don’t know what Sweet Tomatoes is you are missing out.  Delicious!

     Anyway, we were sitting out on the patio and there were two women handing out small flags to children and also showing them how to fold a flag.  It was actually very intriguing.  I don’t recall that I had ever seen someone fold a flag before.  Had my camera been in my purse, I am sure I would have been up there with the moms taking pictures of their young children, minus the children part.

     So in honor of this Flag Day, I would like to leave you with a few American Flag questions that I stumbled upon.  This quiz states, “It's Flag Day.  How much do you know about the Stars and Stripes?  If you get at least seven answers right, you're a true patriot. Score between four and seven, and it's time to read up on Old Glory. Score below four, and you might consider retaking that seventh-grade civics class.”  I wouldn’t go as far as to say go back to school; but it is fun to do anyway.  I bet my Papa has the highest score of anyone I know that would take the quiz. 

The answers are on the bottom…Now, no cheating.

1. Francis Scott Key wrote the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the back of an envelope. What is the source of the music for the song?

2. Which president made the official order for arranging the stars?

3. Who was Elizabeth Griscom and what was her connection to the flag?

4. Who planted the first U.S. flag on the moon?  Do you know what year?

5. Is it ever appropriate to fly the flag upside down?

6. What is done with worn or outdated flags?

7. The American flag first flew over what foreign country?

8. A vexillologist is an expert in what?

9. "Shipwreck" Kelly (1885-1952) was famous for sitting for long periods of time. What did he have to do with flags?

10. The United States has one of the oldest national flags. Which countries have older flags?

Answers:

1. Most people are aware of the source of the words in the song (Defense of Fort McHenry), but have no idea that the music for the Star Spandled Banner from "To Anacreon in Heaven", an English drinking song.  Obviously, the song has some outstanding music in it because it is loved and adored today. Many musicians believe it is one of the most difficult songs to sing in the world, but when you hit it just right, there is no doubt that it is outstanding (I completely agree).

2. President William Taft.  He was the one behind the six rows of eight stars, which turned out to be a hit. It was symmetrical and looked good as a flag.

3. Betsy Ross was born Elizabeth Griscom.  Betsy Ross (January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836) is widely credited with making the first American flag.

4. Neil Armstrong planted first flag moon in 1969.

5. Never fly the flag upside down except to signal an emergency (I got this one wrong).  It means "Help Me! It's an emergency! Call the police! I am in dire trouble and need immediate help!"

6. Title 4, §8(k) of the United States Code states, “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting symbol for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”

          *Random Fact: In 1909 Robert Peary placed a flag, sewn by his wife, at the North Pole.  He also left pieces of another flag along the way. It is the only time a person has been honored for cutting the flag.

7. The first time the American flag was flown overseas on a foreign fort was in Libya, over Fort Derne, on the shores of Tripoli in 1805.

8. A vexillologist is an expert in the history of flags. 

9. Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly was the acknowledged master of flagpole-sitting, a nutty public fad of the 1920s. Kelly would clamber to the top of a specially-prepared flagpole and remain there on a small platform for days or even weeks, usually as a paid publicity stunt. Kelly set a world record by perching atop a flagpole for seven weeks at Atlantic City's Steel Pier in the summer of 1930. (My rear-end hurts just thinking about it!)

10. The basic flag of the U.S. is one of the world's oldest national flags. Only the basic flags of Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland are older.

 *Thank you to all of those that keep my flag flying!  I am so blessed!