5 Things to Know About Flag Day

Today, June 14, is Flag Day, the day in which the adoption of the U.S. flag in 1777 is commemorated. 

Here are five interesting things to know about Flag Day:

1. President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress officially establishing June 14 as Flag Day in 1949.

2. Dr. Edward Brooks, then the Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence Square, some 56 years before Truman's official declaration.

3. The United States Flag Code is a federal document that spells out how Old Glory should be displayed and handled. Among other requirements--known as "standards of respect"--the code spells out are the following:

• The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.
• When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object. Instead, it should be received by the arms of a waiting flag bearer.
• The flag should not be hung during rain or violent weather.
• The flag should only be displayed with the union (the corner with the stars) facing downward in instances of extreme danger to life or property, or as a signal of dire distress.

4. The final two stars sewn onto the U.S. flag were added in 1959, when Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states, respectively.

5. The week of June 14 is officially designated "National Flag Week" in the United States.