June 14 is Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States in 1777. Our nation"s first official flag had 13 stars and 13 red and white stripes to represent the original 13 colonies that broke from British rule. The stars were arranged on a blue background to represent a "new constellation." In 1795, two more stars and two stripes were added to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union. Then in 1818, Congress passed a plan to go back to 13 stripes and add only stars for new states. The current version of the flag has been in effect since 1960, after Hawaii became a state the prior year. The flags we"re looking at here are flying in New Jersey"s Liberty State Park, with the Statue of Liberty in the background.
Celebrating Flag Day
Today in History
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Saint Andrews Day
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World Environment Day
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Porthcawl Lighthouse, Wales, UK
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National Find a Rainbow Day
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Lakeside serenity in Finland
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Art abounds at the Palais Garnier
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Gone ‘lightseeing’ in Berlin
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Whooper swans in Lake Kussharo, Japan
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National Hummingbird Day
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A center of antiquity on the Mediterranean
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Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława, Poland
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A tree amid the Tetons
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World Wildlife Day
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Gentoo penguins in Antarctica
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Castelmezzano, Italy
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Fossil Day
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World Rivers Day
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Lick Observatory
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Museum Night in Berlin
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Happy winter solstice!
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It s Republic Day in India
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Kagami-ike, Nagano, Japan
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A glimpse of the Blue Forest
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Celebrating freedom
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Martin Luther King Day
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A city of bridges
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Whoopin it up!
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Golling Waterfall, Salzburg, Austria
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Celebrating Charles Darwin
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Going head-to-head with winter
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