Way back in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson established June 14 as Flag Day. Then, in 1949, an Act of Congress proclaimed June 14 as National Flag Day, making it an official national holiday to commemorate the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.
The 1777 resolution did not set the size or proportions of the flag, or even what shape the constellation of stars should be. As a result, flags of the era showed the constellation of stars in different arrangements, and flags were made with differing proportions. It was not until 1912 that the flag’s design was standardized.
In fact, until 1818, a new stripe was also added for each new state. The famous Star-Spangled Banner that inspired our national anthem after the battle of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor had 15 stars and 15 stripes.
Like the original U.S. flag, there are now 13 stripes on the flag, beginning with red on top and alternating red and white. The upper left rectangular shaped blue section contains the stars, one for each of the 50 states but originally one for each of the 13 original colonies. New state stars are added on the Fourth of July following the new state’s admission to the Union. The most recent star was added in 1960 for the state of Hawaii.
According to the Smithsonian Institute, the flag got its nickname “Old Glory” from William Driver, a Massachusetts-born resident of Nashville, Tenn. Driver’s flag was originally given to him as a present on his birthday when he was made captain of a merchant ship. The flag was hoisted above his ship and, as it opened to the ocean breeze for the first time, Driver hailed it as “Old Glory!” This flag accompanied him on many seafaring voyages around the world. In 1836, he gave up seafaring and moved to inland Nashville where he proudly displayed his flag from a locust tree. He even updated the flag in 1861 to reflect 34 stars and added an anchor in the corner to indicate his sea service.
When Tennessee seceded from the Union, Driver remained faithful to the Union and had his daughter conceal his flag inside a quilt, which was overlooked in numerous raids on his house. Driver’s flag remained in the quilt until February 25, 1862, when Ulysses S. Grant captured Fort Donelson and occupied Nashville. On that day Driver uncovered the flag, marched through the streets to the capitol building, climbed to its dome, and hoisted “Old Glory,” as Driver continued to call the flag, for all to see.
As news of what had happened in Nashville spread, the term “Old Glory” became popular, and it is still today a commonly used nickname for the U.S. flag.
