10 Things You Didn’t Know About the American Flag

Each July Fourth, flags adorn America's neighborhoods, shopping malls, sporting events and early summer festivals, serving as reminders of our nation's enduring characteristics. The sight of the stars and stripes engenders patriotism, an appreciation for freedom, and thankfulness for prosperity and mobility, each of which we've worked so hard to maintain over the past 236 years. While you may know what the flag represents, you may not remember all of the facts behind it. After all, not all of us are smarter than a fifth grader. Here are 10 that are often forgotten, or were never learned in the first place.

1. A 17-year-old high school student designed the modern flag for a school project: And initially only received a B- for his work — work that created our nation's foremost patriotic symbol. Bob Heft, who passed away in December 2009, designed it with 50 stars in 1958 as Alaska was gaining consideration for statehood and before Hawaii entered the discussion. His foresight was appreciated by Congress and President Eisenhower, who personally invited him to attend the ceremony adopting the flag, which was made official on July 4, 1960.
2. The flag has changed 26 times since its creation: This is due to the steady growth of the U.S. from 1877, when the 13-star version was adopted, until the 50-star version became official as Hawaii was admitted as a state in 1960. In use for 50 years and counting, the current flag is the longest-running in U.S. history, followed by the 48-star flag (47 years), 15-star flag (23 years) and original 13-star flag (18 years). On nine occasions, a version of the flag only lasted one year, and on five occasions, a version lasted just two years. If the U.S. decided to adopt a few more states, the United States Army Institute of Heraldry has ready-designed flags with up to 56 stars.
3. The flag had 15 stripes from 1795 to 1818: The induction of Vermont (1791) and Kentucky (1792) into the Union brought forth the need to symbolically incorporate them into the flag, and thus two additional stars and stripes were added, starting in May of the next year, after the passage of The Flag Act of 1794. In the more than two decades following the change, Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana and Mississippi earned statehood, requiring their own representation. It didn't seem logical to continue adding stripes, so President James Monroe signed the Flag Act of 1818, stating there would be just 13 stripes, one representing each of the original colonies, and a star for each state.
4. Only governors and the President can order the flag to be set at half-mast at government buildings: Another responsibility for the already busy executives, who can make the order as a sign of remembrance or when important government officials or other important figures pass away. Because federal law states that no flag can fly higher than the U.S. flag, every other flag — regardless of whether they're from states, cities or organizations — must fly below half-mast at the same time. Occasions in which flags fly at half-mast: Peace Officers Memorial Day, Armed Forced Day, Memorial Day, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and Patriot Day, and specified amounts of time during the deaths of current and former presidents, vice presidents, chief justices, and speakers of the House of Representatives, to name a few.
5. "The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing:" That rule comes from United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1 [8j], which includes several other strict rules specifying the proper treatment of the flag, including that it "should never be carried flat or horizontally, it "should never be used as a covering for a ceiling, it "should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise" (see below), and it "should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything." None, however, are more ignored than the following two:
6. "The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery:" But try telling the Olympic athletes, for example, who drape themselves with the flag after pulling off a big win. And, although wearing American flag-like shirts and similarly tacky apparel violates the code too, you would be wise to avoid sporting that stuff anyway, unless, of course, you're Apollo Creed and genuinely love livin' in America. There are always exceptions.
7. "The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever:" Obviously, these laws are never enforced, as evidenced by the countless American flag-themed Memorial Day and Fourth of July advertisements we're accustomed to seeing during the early summer. Or how about campaign season, when flags adorn just about every piece of memorabilia handed out at campaign rallies? Sure, it's a bit over the top to bemoan such usage given that it's hardly anything new, but who can resist hating on slimy furniture salesmen and self-serving politicians?
8. The U.S. Flag Store alone sold more than 6 million stick flags in 2010: Whether they're used in ads or not, flags are big business. The U.S. Flag Store stocks more than $3 million in flags, boasting that it has sold flags and accessories to more than one million customers, many of whom have been affiliated with local and state governments, veterans' organizations and Fortune 500 companies. Typically bought in bulk, stick flags are always in high demand due to their traditional presence at events such as Fourth of July celebrations and campaign rallies (see above), when essentially every person in attendance has one.
9. You don't have to destroy a flag that has touched the ground: Contrary to popular belief, it's not that big of a deal if you accidentally drop your flag. If it's dirty, it can be cleaned so that it can quickly return to its previous place. It's not like the U.S Flag Store is behind some conspiracy to ensure flag sales remain high — as previously mentioned, that's not really a problem. It's your responsibility to determine if your flag is too old and ready for retirement. If you think it's no longer fit for display, the flag code states that "it should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning."
10. Currently there are six flags on the moon: It was a major symbolic victory for the U.S. to win the race to the moon, so it had to be commemorated in some manner. Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, famously placed the first flag on the moon, a scene with which generations of Americans are familiar. Only one, of course, wasn't enough. With six flags scattered throughout the moon's surface, left by the members of each Apollo mission, there's no question about which country had the most accomplished space program during the era — including the engineers, who constructed a collapsible flagpole with a telescoping horizontal rod serving to keep the flag extending outward in the windless environment.

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