Flag Lore
• According to usflag.org, few historians really believe that Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross made the first U.S. flag.
• America’s current 50-star flag was designed in Lancaster, Ohio, in 1958 by 17-year-old Robert Heft for a high school class project.
• Prior to a 1912 Executive Order, flag makers were free to shake up the arrangement of the stars and vary the proportions of the stripes.
Flag Dos and Don’ts
• It is improper to use an actual flag or flag design as jewelry or clothing. BUT flag patches or pins worn on the left side (near the heart) of a shirt or uniform are OK.
• It is customary to display the flag onlyfromsunrisetosunset,but flags may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated.
• Although burning flags as a form of protest is hugely controversial, burning—in a “dignified manner”— is the recommended method of disposing of soiled or worn flags.
Source: U.S. Flag Code.
