When most people think of flags, they aren't likely to think of the word "interesting." Most people take national flags for granted, but there are many unique stories behind every flag. Here are just three of the most interesting and baffling flag stories in the world.

  

1) Bikini Atoll's Flag Is A Sign Of Protest

Bikini Atoll is a small island nation that was a major testing ground for nuclear bombs in the 40s and 50s. This testing was done by the United States and is now considered an act of atrocity.

The 23 small islands that make up the nation created a flag to commemorate and protest the treatment they underwent during this period, including relocation and resettlement.

The flag has the same design as the American flag but with several differences. The first is the fact that it only has 23 stars, rather than 50. These represent the islands. In the upper right of the flag, three black stars represent the islands destroyed by the explosions.

Two black stars in the lower right corner represent where residents currently live. The motto on the flag translates to “Everything is in the hands of God,” a reminder of when a general told the islanders to give up their island for the good of the world.

 flag facts

(The flag of Bikini Atoll)

 

 

2) That Flag Looks Familiar...

It's hard to believe that countries could ever design the same flag. There's so many different colors that 240_F_136934712_gNRvmN5BdBNqhEvOHR1shNpiUpqj0vuW.jpgcould be used and symbols that could be integrated. However, the unthinkable happened during the 1936 Olympics.

During this event, the tiny countries of Liechtenstein and Haiti (two countries that barely knew the other existed) found that they had accidentally designed the same exact flag. To be fair, the design wasn't all that complex: split horizontally down the center, with blue on top and red on the bottom.

The odd thing was that the shades were remarkably similar. Later on, Liechtenstein changed its design by adding a small crown on the top of the flag.

 

 

3) Hawaii Celebrates A British Heritage It Never Had

flagsAs the last state to be added to the United States of America, Hawaii was always a bit left out. Not only is it literally thousands of miles from the nearest state, but it also has its own unique culture.

One of the oddest aspects of its history is its flag. It is the only state in the country that uses the British Union Jack in its design. Strangely, Hawaii was never a territory of Britain, unlike much of the rest of the United States.

The flag is partially influenced by the fact that James Cook of England “discovered” the island. With British help, the islands were unified under one constitution for the first time. Without that unification, it's unlikely the United States would have had an interest in the small island in the first place.

 

 

WOW! Who knew that flags could be so interesting? If you want to know information about custom flags (or want to make an order for one), please don't hesitate to contact us today. We always look forward to sharing interesting facts with our customers.

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