Washington D C Facts

23 Facts About Flag Day

Tuesday is Flag Day and to honor the occasion we offer up these facts about our own American flag:

Only the president and governors of a state can order flags on government buildings to be flown at  half staff .

On Jan. 1, 1776, the Continental Army was reorganized in accordance with a Continental Congress resolution which placed American forces under George Washington's control. On that New Year's Day, the Continental Army was laying siege to Boston which had been taken over by the British army. Washington ordered the Grand Union flag hoisted above his base at Prospect Hill. It had 13 alternate red and white stripes and the British Union Jack in the upper left-hand corner (the canton).

In May 1776, Betsy Ross reported that she sewed the first American flag.  Between 1777 and 1960, Congress passed several acts that changed the shape, design and arrangement of the flag and allowed for additional stars and stripes to be added to reflect the admission of each new state. 

Today the flag consists of 13 horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with six white. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies, the stars represent the 50 states of the union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well: Red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity and innocence and blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.

Federal law stipulates many aspects of flag etiquette. The section of law dealing with American flag etiquette is generally referred to as the Flag Code.

Fifteen Little Known Facts About Washington D.C.

Some of the best things about traveling to certain destination cities is the amount of history, both local and otherwise, that can be learned and explored there.  One of the best cities to travel to in order to learn about the history of America, the American military, the East Coast, and more is the city of Washington D.C.  The city of Washington D.C. has it all in terms of historic attractions including art galleries, museums, military and government buildings, government offices, memorials, landmarks, monuments, and even actual historic sites.  The famous chair, 20 feet tall and nine feet wide, was built as a promotional gimmick by the Curtis Brothers furniture store in 1959.  It lasted at it’s original site for 45 years before it was taken down due to wood rot and disrepair.  The original had been made of mahogany, but the replacement was made largely from aluminum that will last for years and years.  When it was first erected, the Anacostia Chair was the largest chair in the world.  That title now belongs to the city of Anniston, Alabama.

Lack of Air Conditioning Though not known for being a football town these days, Gallaudet University of Washington D.C. has a special place in the history of the game.  Gallaudet is a school for the deaf and hard of hearing.  To avoid having their hand signals seen by the opposing team in between football plays, members of the Gallaudet University football team began doing something that would become a fixture in the game.  They began coming together in a huddle before each play to communicate what the next play would be.

The City’s First Resident President The first Washington Senators baseball team came to the nation’s capital in 1901.  They would play there until 1960 when the team was moved to Minnesota and renamed the Minnesota Twins.  A new Washington Senators team would come to town as part of Major League Baseball’s expansion.  That team would stay through the 1960s, but move in the fall of 1971 to Texas and become the Texas Rangers.  The Senators last game in Washington D.C., on September 30th, 1971, was against the New York Yankees.  The game never came to a proper end though because Senators fans rushed the field during play and the contest ended up being forfeited to the Yankees.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Presence The city of Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. Facts and Symbols

Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2011

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Washington D.C. Facts and Factivities

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