The President's Flag

One of the most recognizable symbols of the President of the United States is the flag and personal color of that office.

This is a crucial distinction that must be made - the flag represents the Office of the President, not the person holding the office.

Definition: a flag is hoisted on a pole or mast while a Colour Is mounted on a staff, with or without fringe, some colors can be paraded in a Colorguard while others are intended to be stationary (posted in a stand) 

The first documented use of a flag for the president was in 1882. The Navy Department issued General Order 300 in August 1882.  It describes the flag as "a blue ground with the coat of arms of the United States in the center."  later 13 white stars formed an arch over the coat of arms. 

Not to be outdone - The Army designed their own flag for the president in 1898. It was a scarlet red with the coat of arms of the United States emblazoned on a blue star outlined in white.  Surrounding the star was 45 small white stars representing the 45 states.

Between 1898 and 1912. Each of the military branches used their respective flags and colors. In 1901 President Roosevelt directed that the Navy's 1898 design would be the  official Flag of the President.  From that time this flag was used:

However, each branch maintained a separate Color for the President.  The Navy kept the blue field, while the Army kept theirs Red.  in 1912 President Taft ordered that the field of the flag should be blue. 

1916- President Wilson simplified things and ordered that 1 design be used for the flag and color.

In 1944, the military rank of General of the Army was created and symbolized with 5 stars. Their flag and color is red with 5 stars. 

This design raised the question if having only four stars on the Presidents flag/color was appropriate now that the 5 star rank was in place.,

In 1945 President Truman changed the design. It was described as the coat of arms of the. President of the United States encircled by 48 stars representing the 48 States.

In 1959 - President Eisenhower updated the design to include a 49th star representing Alaska,  and in 1960 he added a 50th star for Hawaii.  All 3 designs are located in the Eisenhower Presidential Library. 

This flag has seen 13 presidents and has been used in 12 inauguration (with the color of the Vice President).and 8 presidential funerals.  

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The Parade of Nations

A tradition dating back to the beginning of the Olympic movement, South Korea is about to make history in the upcoming parade of nations during the opening ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

In a time honored tradition the participating countries will enter the stadium in alphabetical order, according to the HOST nation's language.  Do you know the Korean alphabet?

Stay tuned as we kick off the Winter Olympic Games, and explore the flags of the 94 participating countries including the new flag for the unified Korea team. 

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An Analysis of The Olympic Flag

The opening ceremonies are coming up! Every country participating in the Rio Olympics will be on display, proudly waving their nation's flag. Every color you could possibly think of will be seen. But what about the colors that brought them together.

Let's take a look at the Olympic flag itself. It seems fairly simple. White with a few colored rings. But what those colors really mean may surprise you.

THE WHITE BACKGROUND

Let's take a look at the white background first. What's the first thing you think of when you think of white? Purity? Snow? Cold? Well, you're not far off. In this case, white symbolizes a clean slate or new beginning.

The creator of the Olympic flag, Pierre de Coubertin, knew back in 1913 that eventually, other countries would be at war with one another. But he wanted the Olympic Games to rise above those conflicts. He wanted the Olympics to be a time for countries to come together in peace.

So he took the age old symbol of a white flag of truce and incorporated it into his design. What does it mean when someone raises a white flag? Well, most of us would think that it means surrender, but that's not the case. It actually means peace. When you wave the white flag, it means you are willing to stop fighting an come together in peace with your enemy to discuss terms that will end your fighting permanently.

It's little wonder why Pierre de Coubertin chose a white backround to his unity flag.

THE RING COLORS:

Obviously, it would be impossible to represent all off the world's 196 countries fairly on a single flag. But representing the continents of the world is much more manageable task.

Each of the rings on the Olympic flag represent one or a combination of continents.

• North and South America
• Asia
• Africa
• Europe 
• Australia

De Coubertin chose blue, black, red, yellow, and green to represent those continents. It's interesting to note that no specific color represents any specific continent. 

Then why those specific colors you may ask? Well, these five colors (six if you include white) are a throw back to the first modern Olympics held in Athens in 1896. They symbolize the common colors on the national flags of the countries that first participated in the Olympics.

THE RING DESIGN:

Remember when Coca-Cola ran the "Like To Buy A World A Coke" commercial? How did Coca-Cola decide to represent the unity of nations? By everyone holding hands and making a chain of unity across the world.

Well, believe it or not, Coca-Cola wasn't the first institution to use this interlocking symbol of unity. It was first made popular by the Olympic flag.

The interlocking design of the Olympic rings symbolizes the unity of the nations of the world coming together under a flag of truce and peace (the white background) in the spirit of friendly competition.

The story goes that when this design for the Olympic flag was first unveild at the Antwerp games 1920, athletes and spectators alike were so enthused by it that they stole representations of the five-ring symbol that were displayed all around the city.

This unity concept is why the Olympic torch is passed from city to city and country to country across the world on its route to the next host city.

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