Firefighters, like other Americans, love flags, but that doesn’t mean they’re always ready to rescue one. As an example, take the curious case of a banner that flew away a century ago. An American flag outside the Grand Army of the Republic post in Springfield, Massachusetts, was blown off its mast by a strong windstorm… continue
The approach of Christmas and Hanukkah provides an opportunity to give friends and family members a flag, especially if they are now – or once were – in the military. The options are many in a year when three branches of the military are marking a significant anniversary: U.S. MARINES The U.S. Marine Corps was… continue
Kyra Schuster, a curator at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., recently took part in a once-in-a-lifetime experience when the family of Sgt. Donald Hall donated an American flag. It was given to the WWII soldier 70 years ago by survivors of Langenstein, a Nazi concentration camp. Schuster agreed to answer some… continue
Chicago is known as the Windy City, and its unique history of flags – from a poet who was intensely interested in them to a football stadium that honors veterans – has given those breezes plenty of cloth to play with. The poet, Wallace Rice, was born in 1860, the year another Illinois resident, Abraham… continue
The United States flag has changed 63 times over the past 235 years. As the original thirteen colonies established their presence in America, they started to develop new designs that would represent their loyalty and unity. The modern American flag has evolved to symbolize freedom, justice, and prosperity. Most modern Americans would not recognize some of the… continue