America's First Flag: The Continental Union

As we rapidly approach the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding, it’s interesting to note that its first flag was not the “Old Glory” we know today. In fact, it was the Continental Union Flag, which still bore the mark of England—not an array of stars—in its field. 

While the flag’s first appearance was at a ship commissioning in Philadelphia in December of 1775, the first time it flew in anger was in Somerville, Massachusetts the very next month. It was during the British siege of Boston that Somerville’s Prospect Hill offered a strategic view of the city and the movements of the Redcoats on land and in the harbor.

After the victorious American battles at Lexington and Concord in April of 1775, weary British troops retreated back to Boston and passed near Prospect Hill. There, a skirmish broke out. A 65-year-old Somerville patriot (James Miller) famously stood his ground against the British—telling his retreating comrades, “I am too old to run”. He was shot thirteen times and died at the base of Prospect Hill. 

And, on January 1, 1776, this new Continental Union Flag flew atop the American citadel on Somerville's Prospect Hill for the first time. 

The Moon Mission No One Knows About

For those of us old enough to remember July 20, 1969—it was a watershed moment. For the first time in history, humans set foot on the moon. The whole world watched Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin hop around the lunar surface with awe and wonder. It was genuinely breathtaking.

Fast forward 57 years and a manned lunar mission is about to happen next week—the first since 1972. If you listen carefully, you can hear the world yawning. This has got to be the worst PR effort ever by NASA. 

The new Artemis program will launch on a 10-day mission carrying four astronauts around the Moon and back. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will take their Orion spacecraft farther from Earth than any previous human mission. On top of that, the crew will represent the first person of color (Glover), the first woman (Koch) and the first non-American (Canadian Hansen) to travel around the Moon. That sounds pretty historic—and yet almost no one knows anything about this spaceflight.

Sure the world today is full of wars, protests and other important events. But, trust me, the world of 1969 was not much different—maybe even worse. But back then, the entire world took a moment to recognize our common humanity on this frail blue ball. This mission deserves just as much attention.