The most famous flag incident in Kansas history may have actually occurred in Nebraska. The mythology surrounding Zebulon Pike’s 1806 encounter with the Republican Pawnee Indians yields to present-day historical analysis.

A year in Singapore as a Fulbright fellow provided the author the opportunity to observe flag use in a country whose national symbols reflect its unique politics, history, and culture. Many photographs illustrate reflections on the strategies Singapore uses to make the flag a centerpiece of civic pride.

Filling in a little-known era between the author’s definitive books and articles on the U.S. flag desecration controversy, this article examines the role of the RCP in post-Viet Nam War flag-burning incidents culminating in the Supreme Court’s landmark Texas v. Johnson ruling.

The world’s foremost vexillologist compares the sciences of heraldry and vexillology, through a review of civic symbolism in the United States and its manifestation on flags. He distinguishes it from European heraldry, and challenges heraldists to apply the same scientific principles as vexillology.