Guest Post: Linda Rosencrance
As the United States celebrates Independence Day, many pause to appreciate this country’s wealth of history and traditions. So with July 4th upon us and data visualization being such a popular blog topic, I thought I’d share some of this history and tradition from my favorite holiday infographics.
In a very colorful infographic titled, “Our Flag: A Graphical History,” Mike Wirth explains that the “Union Jack” displays a star for each state and there are 13 stripes for the original 13 colonies. But I bet you already knew that.
What you may not know is that:
- Officially the five pointed star is meant to represent a single state, but people have speculated that Betsy Ross was making reference to “the heavens.”
- The official dye colors of the flag are: Old Glory Red for hardiness and valor; White for purity and innocence; and Old Glory Blue for Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.
- Francis Bellamy wrote the Pledge of Allegiance in 1982 and it was first used in public schools to mark the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World.
Did you know that July is “National Hot Dog Month”? If not, you may want to link to Fourth of July by the Numbers by Mint.com.
And to end this post with a bang, here’s an infographic about fireworks by David Schlosser at the Arizona Daily Star. If you travel to any firework events this weekend, know that the loud boom that accompanies most fireworks doesn’t come from the shell exploding. A separate “report charge” is added to make the sound.
So whether you spend this grand weekend cooking hotdogs on the grill or gazing at booming fireworks, the blogging team wishes you a safe and festive Fourth of July holiday.
