June 14 is Flag Day. No gifts are exchanged. The post office stays open. And few if any of us get the day off work. So what’s the big deal about this holiday with little or no hoopla?
Inspired by patriotic grassroots celebrations that had been going on for years, most organized by teachers and school children, Flag Day, the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 (when the Continental Congress sanctioned a flag for the brand-new United States of America), was officially established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. The holiday was observed sporadically until 1949 when President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day, when everyone is encouraged to proudly display our nation’s colors. Now you know!
