Congress Adopts American Flag
1777

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Birth of the United States Army
1775

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California Republic Proclaimed
1846

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Nazis Occupy Paris
1940

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Nazis Open Auschwitz
1940

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Ike Adds "Under God" To Pledge
1954

Responding to entreaties by various civil groups, as well as to a sermon he heard in a Washington church, President Eisenhower asked Congress to consider including God in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Sensing the same pressure (and perhaps hearing similar sermons themselves), Congress voted overwhelmingly to add "under God" to the last clause of the Pledge. On this day in 1954, Ike signed the bill and it became law.

In June, 2002, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, responding to a suit brought by an Atheist who felt his young daughter should not have to hear the word "God", determined that the words "under God" were unconstitutional, violating the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. The Court stayed its own action in the face of an immediate national outburst, including a 99-0 response from the U.S. Senate.

So, at this writing, the United States of America still maintains an all-too-tenuous recognition of its Creator. Our Founders stated clearly that, without such recognition, our democracy could not exist. Perhaps, given the current times, we should think on that.

British Victorious in Falklands War
1982

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Flag Day

This day commemorates the adoption of the original stars and stripes by Congress in 1777. Though not widely a legal holiday, President Truman signed legislation in 1949 which asked future presidents to proclaim its observance each year.