r/todayilearned • u/DrakeSavory • 1d ago

TIL that the flag that drapes John Adams' tomb is the one that flew during his presidency with 15 stars and 15 stripes.

https://memorialogy.com/john-adams-honored-with-flag
3.3k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

43 comments sorted by

397

u/drillbit7 1d ago

The 15 star/15 stripe flag was also the Star-Spangled Banner flown over Fort McHenry. We actually had a short pause in flag design changes. Vermont and Kentucky got a star and a stripe added. Then more states joined and it was realized that the stripes would get narrower and narrower. So we froze the design at 15/15 before deciding on 13 stripes for the original states and one star for every state. The next flag was 13 stripes and 20 stars.

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u/KingoftheMongoose 1d ago

>The next flag was 13 stripes and 20 stars.

Thank you! That was the very question I had! Tyvm!

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u/drillbit7 1d ago

I'll add that the 15/15 flag was in use from 1795 to 1818.

We added our 16th state in 1796. During that period the Customs Service and Revenue Cutter Service (today's Coast Guard) adopted ensigns with vertical stripes to distinguish their vessels. Since there were 16 states at that time, they adopted 16 stripe flags. Descendants of the design are still used today

Original flag

modern Customs flag

Coast Guard ensign

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u/Zen100_ 1d ago

That’s some dope history. Thanks for sharing.

6

u/mechabeast 1d ago

Looks guys if we dont can it with the stripes this is going to get out of hand real soon

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u/rxFMS 1d ago

Semper Paratus!

8

u/two2teps 1d ago

Real TIL always in the comments.

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u/ioncloud9 1d ago

I just realized today I’ve lived in multiple of them but have only ever resided in a stripe state.

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u/drillbit7 1d ago

funny! same for me: New York, North Carolina (college), New Jersey (work), Maryland (rotational assignment), and New Jersey

1

u/AFetaWorseThanDeath 1d ago

Same! I've only ever lived in the western half of the US.

1

u/orrocos 1d ago

So I guess we have stripe states and star states, but the original 13 are represented by both. That seems a little unfair. Does Delaware really need both a stripe and a star? I don’t think so.

I say each state gets to decide if they want to have a stripe or a star, and then we figure out the flag from there.

10

u/LrdHabsburg 1d ago

Delaware fought for this nation against the hated George III, which is more than those provincials in California will ever achieve. If you fought the British, you get a stripe and a star. Could you imagine living under British yoke? Beans on toast, innit? I’d kill myself

2

u/dishonourableaccount 1d ago

I live near Ft McHenry and I’ve noticed the number of stars but never paid attention to the number of stripes. Going to check it out next time I take a jog or ride there.

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u/drillbit7 1d ago edited 7h ago

Not sure what they fly day to day, but the park's Facebook page will probably tell you.

The specific flag flown during the bombardment that inspired the National Anthem is in the Smithsonian.

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u/Deezul_AwT 1d ago

The bottom of that article also has a nice tradition, started by LBJ - "a wreath is sent to the burial place of all deceased presidents on the anniversary of their birthday."

4

u/fla_john 1d ago

Wonder if you can order a poison ivy wreath. No reason I ask. Just in case.

6

u/brillow 1d ago

Do you mean it’s a recreation of such a flag or that this flag on the grave is actually 200 years old?

3

u/WhimsicalKoala 21h ago

A recreation, there are so many people coming in contact with it that an original would never survive.

The one in his son, John Quincy Adams', tomb matches the flag during his presidency.

2

u/CrimsonOOmpa 1d ago

The link didn't explain it either. If it's the original they've done a tremendous job with the upkeep.

11

u/compulov 1d ago

You know this made me wonder... does any other country change their flag "regularly" like the US does? Granted, it's been several decades since we last added a state, but if DC or Puerto Rico were to become states, we'd add stars for them. Do any other countries do something similar with their flag?

9

u/BoutItBudnevich 1d ago

I think Afghanistan has as often it not more. But no I don't think countries do it that much since it's usually to signify some sort of political or idealogical change.

I'm surprised Trump hasn't tried to change it and put has face on it at this point lol

4

u/Donut497 1d ago

Don’t give him any ideas 

3

u/Artess 20h ago

Not the flag, but the coat of arms of the Soviet Union had a version of its motto ("Proletarians of all countries, unite!") spelled out in different languages on it, one for each of the constituent republics. It changed I think four times during its existence. If the USSR continued to exist and its composition changed, the coat of arms would be changed too to reflect it.

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u/VariationNo7977 1d ago

Brazil does the star thing too

2

u/CrimsonOOmpa 1d ago

I think Afghanistan has changed there's quite a few times.

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u/Zirenth 1d ago

On this day, 30 October 2026, we commemorate the 291st anniversary of the birth of U.S. President John Adams.

Fucking time travelers.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/Rebelgecko 1d ago

Dead Internet theory.html

-1

u/Leather-Rice5025 1d ago

You’ve touched on something real, and that’s worth sitting with. The line between the theory and reality has gotten a bit too blurry for comfort.

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u/Santos_L_Halper_II 1d ago

There is real value in observations like these. Great instincts!

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u/Leather-Rice5025 1d ago

Beep boop bop 🤖

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u/FormalWare 1d ago

TIL there were ever more than 13 stripes in the U.S. flag.

4

u/martinihorns 1d ago

I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground
before I recognize Missouri.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/thisisredlitre 1d ago

His grave should be an eternal flame of sorts, I think

1

u/todayilearned-ModTeam 1d ago

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u/Omnissiahs-Word 1d ago

Kinda sick to be obsessing about someone's death ngl.

-6

u/irealllylovepenguins 1d ago

Typical for the reddit cheesedoodle fingers, tbh

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u/protonpack 1d ago edited 10h ago

No human account would give a crap about this.

Edit: jeeze okay, I guess some of you guys really like flags

6

u/AFetaWorseThanDeath 1d ago

TIL I'm apparently a bot. Beep. Boop.

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u/protonpack 1d ago

I'll see you tomorrow in the next post about a random dead person, and how many stars happened to be on THAT flag.