This year marks the 450th birthday of William Shakespeare. No one is sure in what month and on what date he was born, but tradition has placed it in late April because he was baptized on April 26, 1564. He spent his life writing, and his writing often turned to flags. Take this passage from… continue
It flew at Yorktown when the American Revolution ended. It flapped at Gettysburg in November 1863, when Abraham Lincoln spoke his memorable words. It’s Old Glory. Well, yes – and no. The term “Old Glory” has become synonymous with “American flag” and “the Stars and Stripes.” Originally, however, Old Glory was not a generic term…. continue
People marked St. Patrick’s Day in many ways: eating corned beef and green cabbage, drinking green beer, and “the wearin’ o’ the green.” So why does the national flag of Ireland have two colors in addition to the hue that has traditionally represented that country? The World Factbook describes the Irish flag as having “three… continue
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
The week that marks the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and the upcoming observance of Black History Month in February are appropriate times to recall the heroism of Sgt. William H. Carney, a remarkable protector of the U.S. flag during the Civil War. Born into slavery in Virginia, Carney grew up to travel the… continue