June 14 is Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States in 1777. Our nation"s first official 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, two more stars and two stripes were added to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union. Then in 1818, Congress passed a plan to go back to 13 stripes and add only stars for new states. The current version of the flag has been in effect since 1960, after Hawaii became a state the prior year. The flags we"re looking at here are flying in New Jersey"s Liberty State Park, with the Statue of Liberty in the background.
Celebrating Flag Day
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Celebrating National Park Week, April 21-29
-
Poppies in bloom
-
American robin
-
National Library Week
-
The Blue City of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
-
Nomads of the Gobi
-
Golden larches and Prusik Peak, the Enchantments, Washington
-
Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
-
World Hello Day
-
A Festivus for the rest of us
-
It s harvest time on World Food Day
-
The Kelpies statues in Falkirk, Scotland
-
American Wetlands Month
-
Surströmming Day
-
Shhh, the movie is about to start
-
A bridge too Fawr
-
Cinco de Mayo
-
World Bee Day
-
The power of the forest
-
Happy birthday to Crater Lake National Park
-
Looking down upon Edinburgh
-
World Space Week
-
Frost-covered dunes on Mars
-
Joan charges Riverside Park
-
Siblings Day
-
Splügen Pass, Switzerland
-
It s Bermuda s big day
-
Ronda, Spain
-
Apples ready for harvest in Minnesota
-
Alstrom Point, Lake Powell, Utah
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

