From San Francisco cable cars nostalgically cresting Nob Hill to New York State's Niagara Falls thundering majestically, the United States of America makes up one of the most culturally, geographically, and politically diverse nations on the planet.
Although young, the United States' history and culture is fueled by rapid growth and aggressive ambition. The Pioneers opened the way to the west and less than 100 years later the space program opened the way to the sky. Evidence of growth and the country's history abound in the form of our monuments and preserved national treasures.
The American flag, a patriotic symbol of the nation, has a long history. During the Revolutionary War, several patriots made flags for our new Nation. Among them were Cornelia Bridges, Elizabeth (Betsy) Ross, and Rebecca Youn, all of Pennsylvania, and John Shaw of Annapolis, Maryland. Although Betsy Ross, the best known of these persons, made flags for 50 years, there is no proof that she made the first Stars and Stripes. It is known that she made flags for the Pennsylvania State Navy in 1777. The flag popularly known as the "Betsy Ross Flag," which arranged the stars in a circle, did not appear until the early 1790's.
When two new States were admitted to the Union (Kentucky and Vermont), a resolution was adopted in January of 1794, expanding the flag to 15 stars and 15 stripes. This flag was the official flag of our country from 1795 to 1818, and was prominent in many historic events. It inspired Francis Key Scott to write the "Star Spangled Banner" during the bombardment of Fort McHenry.
However, realizing that the flag would become unwieldy with a stripe for each new state, Capt. Samuel C. Reid, U.S. Navy, suggested to Congress that the stripes remain 13 in number to represent the Thirteen Colonies, and that a star be added to the blue field for each new State coming into the Union. Accordingly, on April 4, 1818, President Monroe accepted a bill requiring that the flag of the United States have a union of 20 stars, white on the blue field, and that upon admission of each new State into the Union one star be added to the union of the flag on the fourth of July following its date of admission. The 13 alternating red and white stripes would remain unchanged. This act succeeded in prescribing the basic design of the flag, while assuring that the growth of the nation would be properly symbolized.
Eventually, the growth of the country resulted in a flag with 48 stars upon the admission of Arizona and New Mexico in 1912. Alaska added a 49th in 1959, and Hawaii a 50th in 1960. With the 50-star flag came a new design and arrangement of the stars in the union, a requirement met by President Eisenhower in Executive Order No. 10834, issued August 21, 1959. To conform with this, a national banner with 50 stars became the official flag of the United States. The flag was raised for the first time at 12:01 am on July 4, 1960, at the Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland.
State Capital: Washinton D.C.
Time Zones: The conterminous United States is divided into four time zones. From west to east they include: Pacific Time, Mountain Time, Central Time, and Eastern Time. Hawaii and Alaska are each in separate time zones of their own. Hawaii is 3 hours behind the Pacific Time Zone, and Alaska, on the other hand, is only 2 hours behind the Pacific Time Zone.
Largest State: Alaska is the largest state in area 586,412 square miles, but has the smallest population with approximately 550,043 people.
Smallest State: Rhode Island is the smallest state in area with 1,214 square miles.
