en stripes and stars. This was the "Star-Spangled
Banner," and under this flag our country fought and won three
wars--the so-called naval war with France, in 1798-1800; that with
the Barbary States in 1801-1805; and that with England in 1812-1815.

February 3, 1783: First appearance of the American flag in a
British port by the ship Bedford, of Massachusetts, which arrived
in the river Thames on this date.

February 8, 1776: Colonial Congressional Committee accepted a naval
flag, consisting of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, with
a rattlesnake diagonally across it.

February 14, 1778: First foreign salute to the Stars and Stripes.
John Paul Jones entered Quiberon Bay, near Brest, France, and
received a salute of nine guns from the French fleet, under Admiral
La Motte Piquet. Jones had previously saluted the French fleet with
thirteen guns.

March 17, 1776: The first display of the Grand Union Flag in Boston
was on the day that town was evacuated by the British.

April 4, 1818: Congress by act decreed a return to the original
thirteen stripes and a star for every State in the Union, to be
added to the flag on the July 4 following a State's admission to
the Union. This is the present law in relation to the flag.

April 24, 1778: John Paul Jones achieved the honor of being the
first officer of the American Navy to compel a regular British
man-of-war to strike her colors to the new flag.

June 14, 1777: First strictly American flag decreed by Congress.
This flag displaced the British Union by thirteen stars, and the
making of the first flag of this design is accredited to Betsy Ross
of Philadelphia. It contained thirteen stripes, alternate red and
white, and thirteen white stars upon a blue field.

June 14, 1777: Captain John Paul Jones appointed to the command of
the Ranger. It was Jones who first displayed the Stars and Stripes
on a naval vessel. It was also he who had previously first hoisted
"the flag of America" on board the naval vessel Alfred in 1775.

June 28, 1778: First appearance on a foreign strong-hold at Nassau,
Bahama Islands. The Americans captured Fort Nassau from the
British, and promptly raised the Stars and Stripes.

August 3, 1777: First display of the Stars and Stripes on land was
over Fort Stanwix,