Existing comment:
1777: The Stars and Stripes Flag (with 13 of each) is adopted as the official flag of the United States of America.
1794: Congress authorizes a 15-star, 15-stripe flag to take account of two new states (Vermont and Kentucky). This is the type of flag flown at Fort McHenry in 1814.
1812-1815: The War of 1812 is fought between the United States and Great Britain.
1814: The British navy bombards Fort McHenry in an unsuccessful attack on Baltimore. Francis Scott Key writes "The Star-Spangled Banner" in response.
1818: Congress establishes that the flag will retain the original 13 stripes, but gain a new star for every new state.
1861-1865: The American Civil War.
1861: "The Star-Spangled Banner" is voted the most popular patriotic song by readers of Harpers Weekly. The Confederate States of America adopt a new flag and rewrite the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner".
1864: President Lincoln authorizes the use on coinage of the words "In God We Trust" (possibly adapted from "The Star-Spangled Banner").
1865: 13th Amendment to the Constitution ends slavery throughout the United States.
1876: The country celebrates its 100th birthday with widespread use of American flags and playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
1889: "The Star-Spangled Banner" is made the US Navy's official tune for flag-raising.
1892: The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag is written for the 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival in America.
1896: Presidential candidate William McKinley conducts a controversial "flag-waving" campaign, the first time a major political campaign is based primarily on imagery of the American flag.
1896: The first modern Olympic Games are held in Athens, Greece, accelerating the trend towards official national anthems.
1914: To mark 100 years since Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner," commemorations are held at Fort McHenry. The fort site becomes a city park.
1914-1918: World War I. The United States enters the conflict in 1917.
1916: President Wilson signs an executive order for the US Army and Navy to use "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the National Anthem.
1918: The Star-Spangled Banner" is played at the baseball World Series.
1920: The 19th Amendment is ratified, giving women the right to vote. Activists use the flag in their hard-fought campaign.
1923-1924: The "Flag Code" is established as guidance for handling and displaying the flag.
1925: Fort McHenry is made a National Park.
1929: The Wall Street Stock Market crashes, triggering the Great Depression.
1931: A popular campaign led by Ella Hauk Holloway, National Society US Daughters of 1812, and The Honorable John Charles Linthicum of Maryland succeeds in making "The Star-Spangled Banner" the official National Anthem for the United States.
1939: Fort McHenry is re-designated by Congress as the nation's only "National Monument and Historic Shrine."
1939-1945: World War II. America enters the conflict after the Japanese attack the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
1942: The Flag Code promoting respect for the flag becomes federal law.
1950-1953: Korean War.
1955-1975: Vietnam War. US involvement begins in 1955.
1960: The 50th star is added to the flag on July 4 to mark Hawaii becoming a state. It is the 27th version of the flag.
1968: The assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr triggers a massive wave of riots across America. Senator Robert F Kennedy, front runner candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, is assassinated.
1968: John Carlos and Tommie Smith stage a Black Power protest during the playing of "The Star-Spangled banner" at their medal ceremony during the Olympic Games in Mexico City.
1968: Defamation of the flag is criminalized by federal law. Activist Abbie Hoffman is arrested in Washington, DC for wearing a shirt made from a flag.
1976: The United States celebrates its Bicentennial (200th anniversary), reinvigorating the flag, anthem and other national symbols.
1980: Intense Cold War rivalry between the world's two superpowers is symbolized by their clash in the ice hockey final of the Winter Olympics. The USA beat the USSR to take gold.
1989: The US Supreme Court rules that flag burning the other "profanities" are protected freedom-of-speech rights under the 1st Amendment.
2001: Terrorist attacks destroy the World Trade Center in New York, damage the Pentagon in Washington DC, and crash a plane in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The flag symbolizes American resolve in a time of crisis.
2008: Olympian Michael Phelps sings the National Anthem during his 8 gold medal ceremonies at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
2014: The 200th anniversary of Francis Scott Key writing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the bombardment of Fort McHenry. |