In all likelihood you see flags around you every day for one cause or another. There is a lot more history to flags than their colors and artwork may suggest though. Here are three things you may not know about these custom flags:
1. Custom Flags Go Way Further Back Than You Probably Imagined
Flags are often symbolic of something, whether it’s a nation, a group, or a person, so you may think they came around with the advent of modern society. This is not so! Flags can be traced back as far as three thousand years B.C. to Khabis, Iran. The flag was constructed of some sort of metal shaped into a nine inch by nine inch square. It showed an eagle, two lions, a goddess, three women, and a bull, all showing what it thought to be a sort of idyllic landscape. As far as outdoor flags and banners go, this is the oldest one found to date and so marks the beginning of five millenniums of use!
2. The American Flag Wasn’t Designed By Any Corporation
American flags all bear the strikingly iconic white starts, blue background, and red and white stripes. For something so famous and important, it surely must have been designed by some famous artist or influential corporation. In point of fact, the American flag was designed by a high school student named Robert G. Heft. He designed the flag for a school project in Ohio when he was seventeen and it was selected as the symbol for the entire nation. I think he qualified for an A in that class!
3. The American Flag’s Colors Have Become Very Standardized
While the colors of the flag was often referred to as red, white, and blue, they are actually much more specific than that. According to the CAUS Standard Color Reference of America, the exact colors of a flag are white, Old Glory Red, and Old Glory Blue, so any other shade of those colors would be inaccurate. It is fitting that such a unique flag would have unique colors. What do you think about this flag history?
