The recent Academy Awards focused everyone’s attention on the movies. With the Oscars having been handed out, cast your mind backwards well more than a century to answer a question, “What was the first film to show a flag?” For the answer, go to the website of the Library of Congress (www.loc.gov) and do some… continue
On March 5, 1864, eight months after Northern victories in Gettysburg and Vicksburg, members of the newly-formed Twentieth United States Colored Troops assembled in New York City for a send-off ceremony that featured flags and ovations from tens of thousands of white people. The New York Times described the ceremony as “a thousand men, with… continue
Whether it was in battles at Antietam or Vicksburg, Gettysburg or Shiloh, flag-bearers were a main target of enemy fire during the Civil War. Killing one of them spread confusion and panic in troops because they had lost their guide into battle – and their route to retreat. February, Black History Month, is good time… continue
Do you think the National Anthem is difficult to sing? So does one of the greatest singers in the world. This year’s Super Bowl was one of the worst ever, but the performance of the anthem was one of the best ever, thanks to opera star Renee Fleming, who was the voice of choice in… continue
The start of the Winter Olympics reminds millions of people around the world that the games are draped in flags. Each nation marches into the stadium sporting its own standard, and the Olympics itself has a well-known banner. The Olympic flag is simple: five interlocked rings of different colors on a white background. “The five… continue