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It is the Chicago Flag’s birthday

April 4, 2017 by Eric Bennion

The Chicago Flag

The Chicago flag is celebrating its 100th anniversary today. Its iconic design is rich in meaning and is one of the few things almost all Chicagoans agree upon. The flag is one of the most recognized symbols for a municipality in the United States.  It is a simple design that  begins with a white background separated into three sections by two broad horizontal blue stripes.  In the center section there are four six-pointed stars. The whole flag is rich with meaning representing the geography and many of the city’s important historical events.

The flag was designed by Wallace Rice in 1915 after Chicago’s Mayor Carter Harrison Jr. sent out a call for an official flag. Mr. Rice was a lecturer and vexillographer (someone who studies and designs flags) at the Art Institute of Chicago.  There were only two stars on the original design and they were offset to the left (to make room for new stars if they were ever needed). The stars represented Chicago Fire and the Colombian Exposition.  During the 1930s two more stars were added to the flag to commemorate Fort Dearborn and the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition.  Since 1939 the flag has remained unchanged.

The flag is a source of pride for the city of Chicago. Not only does the flag fly all across the city, it is used in designs for everything from clothes to tattoos. Are you a fan of our flag?  Let us know down in the comments.

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Filed Under: Chicago Tagged With: birthday, Chicago

About Eric Bennion

Eric Bennion lives with his wife and two boys in Chicagoland area (the suburbs). A member of our Chicago Dads Group, he writes his own blog, DiaryDad’s Dadventures and has contributed to The Good Men Project and Life of Dad.

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Comments

  1. Giacchino says

    May 4, 2022 at 12:15 am

    Where can I got to buy a print of the picture of The Chicago flag and the history/meaning of it

    Reply

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