1777
Congress Adopts Stars & Stripes
During the American Revolution, the
Continental Congress adopts a resolution stating that “the flag of the United
States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be
thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” The
national flag, which became known as the “Stars and Stripes,” was based on the
“Grand Union” flag, a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also
consisted of 13 red and white stripes. According to legend, Philadelphia
seamstress Betsy Ross designed the new canton for the Stars and Stripes, which
consisted of a circle of 13 stars and a blue background, at the request of
General George Washington. Historians have been unable to conclusively prove or
disprove this legend.
With the entrance of new states into the
United States after independence, new stripes and stars were added to represent
new additions to the Union. In 1818, however, Congress enacted a law
stipulating that the 13 original stripes be restored and that only stars be
added to represent new states.
On June 14, 1877, the first Flag Day
observance was held on the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and
Stripes. As instructed by Congress, the U.S. flag was flown from all public
buildings across the country. In the years after the first Flag Day, several
states continued to observe the anniversary, and in 1949 Congress officially
designated June 14 as Flag Day, a national day of observance.
Bonus Story
1998
Jordan Leads Bulls To Sixth NBA Title
On June 14, 1998, Michael Jordan leads the
Chicago Bulls to an 87-86 win over the Utah Jazz in Game Six of the NBA Finals
to clinch their third consecutive NBA title. Jordan scored 45 points and hit
the winning jump shot with 5.2 seconds left on the clock in what seemed a
fitting end to a historic career.
The Chicago Bulls won the NBA title every year
from 1991 to 1998, except a two-year gap in 1994 and 1995 when Jordan left the
NBA to play baseball. In the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals, the Bulls faced the
veteran Utah Jazz, led by point guard and all-time assists leader John Stockton
and power forward Karl Malone, second on the career points list. The Bulls, led
by Jordan, were a colorful group that included small forward Scottie Pippen,
the controversial rebounding champ Dennis Rodman and Phil Jackson, their Zen
master coach.
One year earlier, in Game Five of the 1997 NBA
Finals, Michael Jordan had staged a performance for the ages. Though suffering
from the flu, Jordan willed the Bulls to victory with 38 points, including the
winning three-pointer with 25 seconds left. Afterward, the ailing Jordan was
helped off the court by teammate Scottie Pippen. The Bulls went on to win the
series in six games, with Jordan winning his fifth Finals MVP award.
In the 1998 finals, Utah won Game One 88-85 in
overtime, but lost the next three games, including a 96-54 defensive clinic put
on by Chicago in Game Three. The Jazz then won Game Five in Chicago 83-81 to
send the series back to Utah.
Game Six in Utah was the final installment of
the Michael Jordan show. Scottie Pippen, suffering from back spasms, was
limited to just 26 minutes. The Jazz led by three in the last minute, but
Jordan brought Chicago within one by driving to the basket and laying the ball
in with 37.1 seconds left. Utah then brought the ball into their half-court
setup, with the reliable veteran Karl Malone on the left post. With 18.9
seconds left, Jordan snuck along the baseline and punched the ball out of
Malone’s possession. Jordan then brought the ball up the court, refusing to
call a timeout. With 5.2 seconds left Jordan hit an 18-foot jumper from the top
of the key after cagily nudging Utah’s Bryon Russell out of the way with his left
arm. John Stockton missed a three-pointer near the buzzer to give Jordan and
Chicago their third championship in a row and sixth NBA title. Jordan averaged
32.4 points per game in this series for a 33.4 points per game average in the
playoffs for his career, an NBA record. He won his sixth Finals MVP after the
game, also an NBA record. It was his last game with the Bulls.
In January 2000, Jordan became general manager
of the Washington Wizards and returned to play two seasons with the mediocre
Wizards in 2001-02 and 2002-03. The Wizards did not make the playoffs in either
season.