Betsy Ross Gets Credit for First Flag Day (June 14)

June 14, 1777, was the first Flag Day in the United States. It is partially a tribute to Betsy Ross who might have or might not have designed the first American Flag.

1777: The First Flag Day

On this day in 1777 and during the American Revolution, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” The colors represent valor (red), purity (white) and justice (blue).

The first U.S. flag is known as the Betsy Ross Flag. Ross was an upholsterer who did indeed made flags, but maybe not that one. It was her relatives that credit her for designing the first American flag, but historians have debunked that story. However, the legend goes that it was Betsy Ross who convinced George Washington to change the six-pointed stars to five-pointed ones which were placed into a circle.

According to the Washington Post, it was Ross’ grandson that started the rumor in 1870. And then there is the 1893 painting by Charles H. Weisgerber that features Betsy sewing the flag on her lap. Fun fact: the U.S. flag has had 27 revisions.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day. However, it wasn’t until 1937 when Pennsylvania became the first state celebrate the day. All of the other state quickly filed suit, but Pennsylvania is the only state to recognize the day as an official state holiday.

1989: Zsa Zsa Goes on a Slapping Spree

The Hungarian-American actress Zsa Zsa Gabor was a colorful person to say the least. On this day in Beverly Hills, she made headlines for slapping the face of Officer Paul Kramer who had pulled the socialite’s Rolls Royce over for a traffic violation. As it turns out, Gabor was driving without a license and had an open container of Jack Daniels. Gabor didn’t handle the event well and slapped Kramer.

Three months later, a municipal judge sentenced Zsa Zsa to three days in jail, fined her $12,937, undergo a psychiatric evaluation and to perform 120 hours of community service. While she paid the fine and went to jail, she refused the community service.

1976: TV’s Tasteless Talent Show

The 2017 version of The Gong Show — The 2017 version of *The Gong Show*. (TVDB)

Long before America’s Got Talent, there was The Gong Show. Hosted by Chuck Barris, this talent show (or lack thereof) featured many acts judged by three celebrities. If an act was particularly bad, one of the judges would bang a big gong and the act would stop right then and there.

The Gong Show debuted on NBC’s daytime schedule on this day in 1976. The popular show was spoofed on The Carol Burnett Show in 1977. (Burnett’s character, Eunice Higgins, appeared on the talent show thinking that she was going to win big). The Gong Show continued its run through 1978. A syndicated version ran through 1980. That same year, Universal Pictures released The Gong Show Movie dubbed, “The Gong Show that was gonged by the censors.” The movie showed a fictional week in the life of Chuck Barris working on the show. The movie was written, directed and starred Barris. It got terrible reviews and was pulled out of theater within days.

The Gong Show has been revived a number of times. A new syndicated show aired in 1988 hosted by Don Bleu. In 2008, Dave Attell hosted the show for Comedy Central. In 2017, The Gong Show returned to TV during the summer with Mike Myers pretending to be Tommy Maitland, a fictional “cheeky monkey”, British celebrity who hosted the show. It ran for two summers.