National Flag Day-- the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 -- was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
Flag Do's and Don'ts (from the U.S. code):
- Do fly the flag from sunup to sundown. Leave it out overnight only in a well-lit area.
- Don't display Old Glory with its blue field of stars facing down -- it's a signal of extreme distress.
- Do keep the flag from touching anything below it.
- Don't raise it in rain, sheet, snow, etc.
- Do destroy a seen-better-days banner in a dignified manner, preferably by burning it (really).
