June 14 is Flag Day, which commemorates the official adoption of the American flag in 1777. Our nation’s first 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, as Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union, two more stars and two stripes were added. It was this version that served as muse to poet Francis Scott Key, who penned the poem that would later serve as the lyrics for ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’ He wrote the words after watching the flag fly over the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. The flags in our image are rippling over Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Celebrating Flag Day: ‘O long may it wave’
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Ancient storage in the Grand Canyon
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The ‘Living Forest’ in Biscay, Spain
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Aura River in Turku, Finland
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Ceremony Hall at Sweden s Icehotel
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Balloon Ascension Day
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And to think that I saw it in Cappadocia
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Lake Peipus, Estonia
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Siblings that play together…
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A crested partridge
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Wildebeest on the move
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Mossy Grotto Falls, Oregon
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Cheers! It’s National Wine Day
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Macro photograph of a migrant hawker dragonfly
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In celebration of America’s national bird
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Bohemian Switzerland
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Road-trip worthy attraction in the heartland
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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Adorably evolutionary sea sheep
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Summer’s in home stretch
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Is this Minecraft headquarters?
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Ready, set, read
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A memorial in Germany
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Fog above the forest
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It’s oh so quiet
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Floating temples in the Land of Smiles
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Diving into the underwater nirvana
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In Texas, even the riverbend is big
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A dying breed of tree thrives in an American park
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Jeju Island, South Korea
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A learning garden