19 Things You Didn't Know About the American Flag

Unlike other holidays, Memorial Day has its own very special traditions around the American flag. According to the U.S. Flag Code, on Memorial Day "the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff." The half-staff position is said to honor the nation's fallen military heroes, while full-staff recognizes living veterans and the ongoing fight for freedom.

Francis Scott Key was so touched seeing the American flag still flying high after British bombardment during the War of 1812 that he wrote the poem "Defence of Fort McHenry." He set it to the melody of an old drinking tune, and it wasn't long before the song became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner." James B. Upham and Francis Bellamy also used the Stars and Stripes as the muse for The Pledge of Allegiance, according to PBS.

Speaking of the inspiration behind Key's poem, it still exists and is on permanent display in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. But it is 20 percent smaller than the flag that flew over Baltimore's Fort McHenry, thanks to folks taking snippets for souvenirs before it came into the museum's possession! In 2001, a retiree from Ohio purchased a piece of the Star-Spangled Banner at auction for $10,755.

The Founding Fathers never specified why they chose the flag's colors. But in 1782, Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, said red was meant to represent valor and hardiness; white, purity and innocence; and blue, vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

Founded in 1847, New Jersey-based company Annin & Co. now produces more than 3 million full-size American flags yearly, with factories in Virginia and Ohio; their flags have flown in war, at Olympic ceremonies, presidential inaugurations, on the moon, and even covered Abraham Lincoln's coffin.

As the greatest emblem of our nation, it's important to take the proper steps to ensure the flag is displayed correctly. For example, it can't be displayed at night unless it's illuminated; if on a flagpole, it must be raised quickly and lowered slowly; you should always display the flag with the blue corner up; and don't fly the flag during adverse weather conditions. See more proper American flag etiquette.

The tale of Betsy Ross as the creator of the American flag didn't start circulating until 1870 when her grandson, William Canby, told the Historical Society of Pennsylvania the family's oral history. While there's no definitive proof, recorded government payments to Ross seem to verify the story.

In 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong planted the first American flag on the moon. NASA had to rig a device and stiffen the fabric to make the flag appear to be flying in the thin atmosphere. Every subsequent Apollo mission also placed a flag a the lunar surface, adding up to a half-dozen. Scientists believe that by now all of them have probably been bleached white by the sun's rays.

Each have had a different number of stars in the blue union. And while the official original flag contained 13 stripes and 13 stars, symbolizing the first colonies, the flag didn't always have 13 stripes. In 1794, Kentucky and Vermont were added to the Union, resulting in a 15-stripe flag. In 1818, the third Flag Act reduced the number of stripes back to 13 and provided for one star for each state.

When Alaska and Hawaii joined the union in 1959, 17-year-old Robert G. Heft designed a new 50-star flag as a history class assignment, using his mother's sewing machine to make it. It was eventually chosen from over 1,000 submissions by President Dwight Eisenhower to become the new U.S. flag. It became the longest-running U.S. flag in 2007.

It measures 255 by 505 feet and weighs 3,000 pounds, with each star measuring 17 feet high! Taking 600 people to unfurl, it's appeared at the Super Bowl and World Series, as well as military events and parades. Made by Annin & Co, it's even available to rent.

When opposition to the Vietnam War was at an all-time high, demand for American flags plummeted. But in 1976, flag demand was booming once again, thanks to America's bicentennial.

Who knows where or when the myth got started that if an American flag touches the ground it has to be disposed of, but it's simply not true. In fact, that's a bad waste of a good flag! If your flag becomes soiled, wash or dry clean it. You should wash older flags by hand with Woolite, while synthetic flags may be washed in cold water with mild detergent.

The Great Star Pattern, also known as the "Grand Luminary," is any early version of the American flag, designed by a U.S. Navy captain around 1818, where the smaller stars are arranged to form one large star on the blue field. While it was popular during the Civil War, it was never officially adopted by Congress.

The official Pantone standardized color system swatches for the red and blue of the flag are Blue 282 C and Red 193 C, also known as Old Glory Blue and Old Glory Red. According to the State Department, they are "the only colors that can be used to make up the U.S. Flag."