The national day of recognition celebrating the American flag — June 14 — has roots in the Pittsburgh region and Pennsylvania.
On this day in 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution approving the design for the first flag of the United States, which at that time was “thirteen stripes and alternate red and white, with a union of thirteen stars of white in a blue field, representing the new constellation.”
The flag we know today has 50 stars, one for each state, and 13 stripes representing the colonies that established independence from Great Britain. Old Glory invokes pride, the pledge of allegiance and salutes any time of year.
Here are five flag facts related to the Pittsburgh region and Pennsylvania:
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‘Father of Flag Day’
William T. Kerr, a Collier native born in 1868, kicked off a bid as a teenager to have June 14 designated as Flag Day. He was in his 80s when President Truman signed it into law Aug. 3, 1949, according to Kerr’s grandson.
During the decades in between, Kerr established the American Flag Day Association of Western Pennsylvania in 1888 and helped create the National American Flag Day Association a year later.
In 1927, he persuaded more than 188,000 kids to give a penny each to build a monument to Old Glory in Schenley Park. It was dedicated June 14 for the 150th anniversary of the flag’s creation.
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Address in Schenley
At that dedication in Schenley Park, Ernest E. Rogers, then president general of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, spoke about the importance of remembering the flag and its beginnings, according to a record of his address.
“The flag, though silent, speaks a sublime language to those who know its meaning, for beyond its bright colors they see the Republic for which it stands,” Rogers said, wearing a trench coat and tie. “The flag should be an inspiration for personal sacrifice and unselfish service; for defense in war and loyalty in peace.”
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First foray on battlefield
Nearly nine months after Congress adopted the resolution, a flag bearing the described design was first carried into war at the Battle of Brandywine in eastern Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The British triumphed in the largest battle during the American Revolution, according to Brandywine Battlefield Park.
Pittsburgh HQ
The National Flag Foundation celebrated 50 years in 2018 and that year announced plans to relocate its headquarters into the Koppers Building in Downtown Pittsburgh. The organization brings awareness and remembrance to the nation’s symbol, rallying American cities to light up their downtowns in red, white and blue to commemorate Flag Day, according to its website.
Flag Day is a state holiday in Pennsylvania.
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Famous flag hoister
Sgt. Michael Strank, who grew up near Johnstown, was one of six Marines who raised the Stars and Stripes in Iwo Jima, Japan, in 1945. The moment was captured by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in an iconic image that would later appear in newspapers nationwide.
Strank died several days later in battle. A historical marker honoring him stands in his hometown.
