June 14 is Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States in 1777. Our nation"s first official flag had 13 stars and 13 red and white stripes to represent the original 13 colonies that broke from British rule. The stars were arranged on a blue background to represent a "new constellation." In 1795, two more stars and two stripes were added to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union. Then in 1818, Congress passed a plan to go back to 13 stripes and add only stars for new states. The current version of the flag has been in effect since 1960, after Hawaii became a state the prior year. The flags we"re looking at here are flying in New Jersey"s Liberty State Park, with the Statue of Liberty in the background.
Celebrating Flag Day
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
World Parrot Day
-
’Chess on ice’
-
Milky Way over Zabriskie Point, California
-
Keep shining
-
Bonsai Rock, Lake Tahoe, Nevada
-
Let’s celebrate
-
50 years of the Endangered Species Act
-
A long winter’s nap, perhaps?
-
Drop in on International Surfing Day
-
Talampaya National Park, Argentina
-
Ruins of Inca temples and terraces on Huayna Picchu, Peru
-
Father s Day
-
Palace of Westminster, London, England
-
Burns Night in Scotland
-
Red skies at Ruby Beach
-
Happy Thanksgiving
-
Little Pigeon River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
-
Arches National Park, Utah
-
Sea Otter Awareness Week
-
Mack Arch Rock
-
World Space Week begins
-
Tulips, Netherlands
-
World Hello Day
-
Desert bighorn sheep in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
-
National Aviation Day
-
Sunbeams across Tartu County, Estonia
-
Squirrel Appreciation Day
-
The owl that loved football
-
Seattle Central Library, Seattle, Washington
-
Whoopin it up!
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

