The arrival of Veterans Day calls attention to something that happened 90 years ago on Nov. 11, 1926. That’s when a national museum of World War I opened in Missouri. The conflict itself was spangled with WWI flags. The National World War I Museum and Memorial, its official name, was sited in Kansas City because… continue
People rarely stop to think about the history of holidays as they celebrate them. Veterans Day may seem like a simple day that is dedicated to flying US military flags and thinking about what soldiers do for their country, but there’s much more to it than that. It’s one of the youngest federal holidays in… continue
The nation, one of its states and a branch of the military are marking special flag anniversaries this month. FLAG DAY One hundred years ago, as the U.S. grew nearer to entering World War I, President Woodrow Wilson officially established June 14 as Flag Day. “Many circumstances have recently conspired,” he wrote in 1916, “to… continue
In stadiums around the U.S., as well as one in Canada, these words will soon resound: “Play ball!” Those venues will be draped with bunting and topped with American flags as the 2015 baseball season debuts. More than a century ago, a tossed baseball set a precedent that endures. It was established by President William… continue
Ninety-five years ago, President Woodrow Wilson encouraged people to mark Armistice Day by pausing briefly at 11 a.m. on November 11, the date on which World War I ended. The observance would evolve into a national holiday full of American flags. “The reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism… continue