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In award of Flag Mean solar day, nosotros've decided to accept a break from our normal Flag Twenty-four hours traditions (i.e., taking any excuse to consume red, white or blue candies) to gain a better appreciation of Erstwhile Glory herself.

Not surprisingly, there are a lot of fun facts surrounding the Stars and Stripes — but well-nigh of the coolest stuff isn't institute in any of our history books. A lot of it is interesting, some of it is surprising, and the one tidbit about "Gilligan's Island" is downright haunting.

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Bone up on the American Flag trivia below and employ it to impress your friends and neighbors all twenty-four hour period long:

#i. Betsy Ross is widely credited with designing the first American flag, just at that place is virtually no evidence to back up that merits. The only records of Ross' involvement came from her own grandson in 1870, when he presented the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia with affidavits from his own family unit members as evidence. Instead, many historians believe that Francis Hopkinson deserves the credit, because early journals from the Continental Congress are said to explicitly proper name him every bit the flag'due south designer.

#2. Karen Burke of Walmart's Corporate Communications revealed that Walmart stores sold effectually 115,000 American flags on Sept. 11, 2001, equally compared to 6,400 flags on the aforementioned engagement in 2000. In the year post-obit ix/eleven (Sept. xi, 2001 through Aug. nineteen, 2011), they sold 7.8 one thousand thousand American flags equally compared to 2.5 million the year before.

#three. A 17-year-old student designed the flag every bit it appears today. In apprehension of Alaska and Hawaii becoming states, Robert G. Heft created the 50-star flag as function of a history project (for which he received a B-) before submitting it to Congress for consideration. In August of 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower chose Heft's blueprint over i,500 other applicants and informed him of the news over the phone. (Heft'southward teacher besides inverse his grade to an A.)

#4. During the opening sequence (most 22 seconds in) of first-season episodes of "Gilligan's Island," the U.S. flag tin be seen flying at half-staff off in the altitude. According to a 1994 audio volume co-authored by Russell Johnson, who played the Professor, this is considering the prove's pilot episode finished filming on Nov. 22, 1963 — the same day President Kennedy was assassinated.

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#v. Despite the harsh temperatures and conditions of the moon's temper, 5 of the 6 flags that were planted during the Apollo missions are still believed to be continuing. Co-ordinate to Buzz Aldrin, the one that fell was blown over by the exhaust from Apollo 11 during its liftoff from the moon's surface.

#6. According to the U.S. Section of State, the names of the flag's official colors are "onetime glory red," "white," and "erstwhile glory blue." Their HTML codes and Pantone equivalents can be found on the Department of State's style guide.

#seven. Flag Day isn't technically a federal holiday, and it's not a land holiday exterior of Pennsylvania and New York. Furthermore, New York's official observance of Flag Day isn't June xiv (when it'southward usually celebrated), but rather the 2d Sunday in June.

#8. Richard Williams, the animation director for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," said that he modeled the championship grapheme'due south colors after Erstwhile Glory (cherry-red overalls, white fur, blueish necktie). "Information technology looked like an American flag — subliminally speaking — and so everybody liked it."

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#9. At that place are federal regulations governing the handling and display of the flag (the U.Southward. Flag Code), including restrictions on using the flag's likeness for advertizing, or printing it on annihilation intended "for temporary employ or discard," similar cocktail napkins or paper plates. Nether the Flag Protection Human activity of 1989, there are also federal laws that call for criminal penalties for certain forms of flag desecration, although the Supreme Court found this act to be unconstitutional under the Kickoff Amendment in 1990.

#10. Old Glory was actually the nickname of a specific U.S. flag, namely, the one owned past bounding main helm William Driver. He was previously given the flag by the women in his hometown of Salem, Mass., simply he only named it Old Glory upon seeing it flying on his ship's mast in 1831. The proper name later went on to get synonymous with any American flag.