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Flag Day: Why we celebrate on June 14

President Harry Truman signed Flag Day's permanent observance into law in 1949.
Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
The American Flag waves before a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Tulane Green Wave on September 17, 2005 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana.

This is why we celebrate Flag Day on June 14 every year.

The “Stars and Stripes” was authorized by Congress on June 14, 1777, according to the National Flag Day Foundation

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In the fifth item on the agenda that day. The entry in the journal of the Continental Congress reads “Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States be Thirteen stripes alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

A Wisconsin school teacher is one of the people credited with championing the celebration of the flag.

In 1885, Bernard John Cigrand, a 19-year-old teacher in a one-room Waubeka, Wisconsin, placed a 10-inch 38-star flag in an inkwell and had his students write essays on what the flag meant to them.

Official adoption

He called June 14th the flag’s birthday. Stony Hill School is now a historical site.

President Woodrow Wilson issued the Flag Day proclamation on May 30, 1916.

President Harry Truman later signed Flag Day's permanent observance into law in 1949.

Here's how to properly display your flag:

Don’t let the flag touch the ground: While handling the flag, it is important to remember to not drop it to avoid it getting damaged. Contrary to popular myth, you don’t have to burn your flag if it touches the ground. If the flag is in good condition, it can be displayed.

The flag isn’t a costume: Thinking about doing a DIY outfit to show your patriotism? According to U.S. flag code, no part of the flag should be used as sportswear or costume. Instead, opt for a patch or a lapel flag pin, which should be word over your heart.

Keep it lit: Flags should be displayed from sunrise to sunset on buildings and flagpoles. If you’re feeling extra patriotic, you can fly the flag 24-hours a day if the flag is properly illuminated. According to the American Legion, proper lighting means the flag is illuminated so it is easily recognizable by others.

USA Today contributed to this report.

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