Celebrated each year on June 14, Flag Day commemorates the 1777 approval of a national flag design by the Continental Congress.

Today, Saturday, June 14 marks the celebration of Flag Day in the United States.

President Woodrow Wilson and President Calvin Coolidge each issued presidential proclamations asking for June 14 to be observed as Flag Day, according to the VA. On Aug. 3, 1949, Congress approved the national observance of Flag Day, and President Harry Truman signed it into law.

The reverence for Old Glory that inspired Flag Day came decades after the lifetime of the woman often credited with sewing the first United States national flag.

Other nations, for the most part, reserve the flying of their national colors for government buildings and ceremonial events marking special dates in their histories. They revere their flags, but aren’t nearly as demonstrative about the whole thing as we are.

In general, however, straight rows of stars and proportions similar to those later adopted officially were used. The principal acts affecting the flag of the United States are the following:

Hillsborough County will hold its fourth annual Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony, recognizing the holiday's significance and honoring the end of slavery in the U.S.

The annual observance reminds Americans that their flag represents more than cloth and thread; it embodies the principles of liberty, justice, and unity.