Flag day is big in Southern California, especially at every City Hall

We can all thank Bernard Cigrand, a Wisconsin teacher who dreamed up the concept of creating a flag day in the United States. He wanted it to happen nationwide on June 14, and the first of these celebrations was in 1885. That year, his school held the first formal observance of the special day, with flags.

Lots of people wanted to be linked to honoring a flag, and that included the family of Betsy Ross, who was widely believed to have created the American flag. But nobody could prove definitely that Ross created Old Glory. In the hot news year of 1870, a relative of hers held a press conference to promote the idea that she gave America the Old Glory.

But according to respected history sources, one Francis Hopkinson, a delegate from New Jersey who signed the Declaration of Independence, actually designed the American flag.

On Flag Day, children enjoy coloring contests and pursue other art projects focused on flags, communities hold parades, and veterans groups hold celebrations and picnics. Other countries hold their own flag days and enjoy the history and meaning behind them.