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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The Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland
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Welcome to the Year of the Pig
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International Beaver Day
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It’s Endangered Species Day
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There once was a lighthouse from...
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Museum Night in Berlin
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Hiding in plain sight
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Halo around the sun
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Pollinator Week
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Celebrating Chile’s Independence Day
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A long winter’s nap, perhaps?
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Inhale and exhale, it’s Yoga Day
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It s superb owl Sunday
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Western Monarch Day
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Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon
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Not your average sandcastle
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Talk like a pirate—or walk the plank
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Of moles and liquid nitrogen
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Celebrating World Art Day
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Endangered Species Day
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White dunes, blue lagoons
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Bay Marker Lookout, Sydney Olympic Park, Australia
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Night of the ‘Cold Moon’
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A wassailing we go
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Saskatchewan s spookier side
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Who s wearing such cute hats?
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Craig Goch Dam in the Elan Valley of Wales
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Big wheels on a big mountain
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An ice cap-puccino
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We re gonna need a bigger birdhouse