Had no idea that this day was Flag Day.Flag Day, celebrated yearly on June 14, is a holiday with its roots firmly planted in Chicago.
A teacher in Waubeka, Wis., Bernard J. Cigrand, had the first formal Flag Day observance in 1885. According to a 2002 Chicago Tribune story, Cigrand had his class gather around a 10-inch U.S. flag that stood in a bottle on his desk, honoring the flag in what would become a tradition.
Cigrand, the son of Luxembourg immigrants, moved to Chicago in 1886 to become a dentist and brought with him a passion for the flag that led him to push for creation of the holiday in speeches and newspaper articles.
He lobbied for two decades before convincing the government. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the national observance of Flag Day. The holiday was signed into law 33 years later, though it is not an official federal holiday. It is, however, a state holiday in Pennsylvania.
Dispatches from Chicago's south side.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Flag Day has roots in Chicago
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