Flag Facts The present system of adding stars to the flag whenever a new state joins the Union dates from 1817. There have been 28 different versions of the United States national flag since 1776, the latest (with 50 stars) having been introduced on July 4, 1960. It is often assumed that the Flag Code, having been established by public law, is enforceable by the police and by court authorities. In fact, there are no penalties provided for infractions of the Flag Code. Private individuals and businesses are therefore free to adhere to or disregard prohibitions and admonitions express in the Flag Code. It is always appropriate to respectfully bring to the attention of an individual, business, or other institution any practice contrary to the Flag Code, but it is neither appropriate nor legally possible to require conformity. When the flag of the United States is displayed at night, it should be normally be spot lit. The Flag Code specifies that the flag should be "properly illuminated", but does not spell out what this requires. There is no recognized definition for "inclement weather", but the common sense understanding is that the US flag should not be flown when wind or other conditions could cause it to be damaged. It is frequently but incorrectly believed that private individuals have no authority to fly the flag at half-staff. Although Congress, the President, and state governors are specifically authorized to order half-staffing, heads of lower government bodies, non-profit institutions, church, businesses, and private citizens may also make the decision to half-staff a US flag. The US flag should never be displayed with the "union" or stars down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. Accessories for the flag such as cords and tassels, heading, pole finials, etc., are not specified in the Flag Code and are therefore discretionary. Anyone made add gold fringe to any parade, office, or miniature flag as decoration. It has no official symbolism. The US Patent and Trademark office shall register no trademark if it consists of or comprises the US or a state flag. If the Star-Spangled Banner is played and no US flag is present, the audience should face toward the music and act as if the flag were displayed there. Francis Scott Key first called the US flag the Star-Spangled Banner in 1814 when he wrote the poem that became our national anthem. That poem was called "The Defense of Fort McHenry". William Driver, a sea captain from Salem, Massachusetts, gave the name Old Glory to the flag in 1824 when he cried out "Old Glory" upon seeing a flag given as a gift first unfurled from the bow of his ship as it left the harbor. That flag is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution. The Stars and Stripes were first displayed in a land battle on August 16, 1777 during the American Revolution. The Stars and Stripes were first displayed in a naval battle in the Pacific on March 25, 1813. The Stars and Stripes were first displayed in the Antarctica in 1840 and at the North Pole on April 6, 1909. The Stars and Stripes were first displayed on the moon on July 20, 1969 by Astronaut Neil Armstrong. Flag Etiquette It is customary to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset. If the flag is displayed twenty-four hours a day, it should be properly illuminated when dark. The flag of the US should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of states or localities are grouped and displayed from staffs. When flags of the States, cities, or localities are flown on the same halyard with the US flag, the US flag should always be at the peak. When flown from adjacent poles or the same height, the US flag should be flown to the furthest left of the observer (the flag's right). The US flag, when it is displayed with another flag against a wall from crossed staffs, should be on the observer's left, the flag's own right, and its staff should be in front of the staff of the other flag. When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union (stars) should be uppermost and to the flag's own right, that is, to the observer's left. The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, or water. The US flag, when carried in a procession or with another flag or flags, should be either on the marching right, that is, the flag's own right, or if there is a line of other flags, in front of the center of that line. When US flags of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be flown from separate staffs of the same height. The US flag should be placed to the US flag's furthest right, the observer's left. Flag Holidays January 1 New Year's Day January 20 Inauguration Day February 12 Lincoln's Birthday Third Monday In February Washington's Birthday   Easter Sunday Second Sunday in May Mother's Day Third Saturday in May Armed Forces Day Last Monday in May Memorial Day (half-staff until noon) June 14 Flag Day July 4 Independence Day First Monday in September Labor Day September 17 Constitution Day Second Monday in October Columbus Day October 27 Navy Day November 11 Veteran's Day Fourth Thursday in November Thanksgiving December 25 Christmas Day

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