|
|
|
| | 4th of July Fun Facts DID YOU KNOW - That our current flag has fifty stars, one for each state in the union, and thirteen stripes, one for each of the original thirteen colonies - but did you know that after Vermont was admitted to the Union in 1791 and Kentucky was admitted the year after, Congress decided to not only add two stars but also added two more STRIPES to the original flag! This version of the American Flag was flown from 1795 to 1818. It was this version of the flag that flew over Fort McHenry on September 14, 1814 when Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star Spangled Banner” which was officially designated as our National Anthem in 1931. The “Star Spangled Banner” that flew over Fort McHenry that day was 30 feet high, 42 feet long and weighed approximately 200 pounds. The remnants of this flag can be viewed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. |
For more Fun Facts about American History, go to
Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History website at
http://americanhistory.si.edu
| |
|
|
|