American Flag Fun Factoids

The original American Flag had 13 stripes and 13 stars. What year was that original flag created?

• 1776

• 1777

• 1778

• 1779

Where did the nickname for the American flag, "Old Glory", come from?

• George Washington called the flag Old Glory because as he saw it wave in the breeze he thought it was GLORIOUS. When one of his soldiers heard him say that they provided him the nickname to use.

• An old sea captain from Massachusetts named his personal American flag that flew on his ship's mast Old Glory; when he was home he displayed it on his home and continued to use that nickname.

• At Montecello, Jefferson's home in Virginia, he always flew and American Flag. One of his servants who took care of the flag would report to Jefferson every evening that he had "put Old Glory to sleep for the day".

• The nickname Old Glory came from one of the first songs written about the flag and it's meaning to a soldier.

A snippet (2 by 5 inches) of the actual flag that the Star Spangled Banner was written about was sold in 2011 at an auction. The rest of that flag is on display at the National Museum of American History. How much did the buyer pay for that snippet?

• One million dollars

• $539,000

• $154,000

• $38,000

Can an American Flag that touches the ground still be used?

• True

• False

After years of local celebrations of the anniversary of the establishment of the American Flag of 1777, what year was Flag Day formally established?

• 1835

• 1866

• 1917

• 1956

The colors of the flag were chosen carefully by our founding fathers. They didn't just want the flag to look pretty but have meaning. Which of these statements is true?

• Red was chosen to symbolize the blood spilled in fighting for our freedom.

• White symbolizes "starting with a clean slate" as America was a new country.

• Blue symbolizes vigilance, perseverance and justice

• None of the above are true because the color were chosen by Betsy Ross who made the first flag.

The current American Flag of 50 stars and 13 stripes was created in 1959 when the 50th state was added to the union. Who created the design of this flage?

• A professional flag designer won the competition, similar to how monuments are designed.

• One of the descendants of Betsy Ross

• A 17 year old boy from Ohio who submitted the design in a contest

• The wife of President at that time, Ike Eisenhower, was given that honor.

If you ever go to the moon, how many American Flags would you see that have been planted there?

• 1

• 3

• 5

• 7

The Washington state flag was adopted in 1923 (after Washington had already been a state for 34 years). Who designed the Washington State flag?

• A descendant of George Washington

• The Evergreen Society

• The Washington chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution

• A contest to design the Washington State flag was called by then Governor Albert Rosellini, who also selected the winner who was a dressmaker.