The IDF utilizes three types of symbols on its flags and related devices: biblical, Zionist, and new symbols. This article describes the breadth of these symbols, and explains why the two most likely Israeli symbols—the Star of David and the menorah—are seldom employed.

In June 1989 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the Texas law against flag-burning, triggering an effort to amend the U.S. constitution. This article traces the history of that amendment to its defeat a year later, and subsequent events in the controversy through 1995.

The signal flags used from the 1600s in America’s coastal whale fishery echoed those employed by the English, Dutch, and Basques on the other side of the Atlantic. Using signal towers on land helped alert communities to the presence of whales. This paper traces their use into the 1900s.

This article provides a discussion of the Znamia Pobedy — the Soviet Banner of Victory from World War II — covering the sometimes contradictory stories behind the flag raised by Soviet soldiers over the Reichstag in Berlin. It also discusses post-war use in the U.S.S.R. and the countries of the former Soviet Union.

This article provides a discussion of the flags of the Confederacy, illustrated by historical flags of the period. The author discusses how one flag pattern gained primacy in the South during the Civil War, and how that flag is viewed in contemporary U.S. culture.

This paper uses communication theory to study the flag culture of Tennessee. The author applies concepts such as semiotics, pragmatic unity, and visual synecdoche to the examination of flags and flag-derived logos used throughout the Volunteer State.

This essay conveys the story of the first mass recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in Utah. The author demonstrates how the event was intended to demonstrate to the rest of the country that Mormans in Utah were loyal Americans.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The United States has displayed distinguishing marks on all of its military aircraft, from the observation balloons of the Civil War, through the airplanes of the First and Second World Wars, to today’s cruise missiles. Lavish illustrations show how the U.S. insignia have changed and adapted over time. (1997)

In the 1830s, two factions of the Patriote Party in the valleys of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers used flags indicating their sympathies. The author shares his research, conclusions, and insights into a flag history that extends to the modern Québécois separatist movement. (1998)

When the liberator General Belgrano raised the first Argentine flag in the little town of Rosario in 1812, he little imagined the great monument that would rise to commemorate the event. The author traces the monument’s history through nearly a century of controversy to today. (1996)

The port city of St. John’s, as the capital of Britain’s oldest colony, developed a strong history of complex and evolving flag use. Narrated by a St. John’s native with original research and detailed flag charts, this paper covers 400 years of flags in service of the city’s commerce. (1990)

The long-time editor of the World Book’s "Flag Article" takes readers on a delightful voyage through the history of pirates, privateers, and their flags.

Tracing the vexillographic history of municipal flags in the United States, the author identifies the sources of poor design and calls on NAVA to establish a formal body to assist cities and others in creating or replacing flags.

As the United Nations has grown from 60 members in 1952 to 189 today, its headquarters in New York has constantly expanded and rearranged the poles displaying member flags. The challenges and solutions presented during this growth are documented extensively.

Inventorying all 214 flag grants by the Canadian Heraldic Authority though 1998, the former Saint-Laurent Herald and Registrar analyzes their design styles and recipients. He finds that banners of arms predominate, followed by ensign types and Canadian pales, and that municipalities have received more flag grants than have corporations, institutions, or individuals.

The Association’s flag survey put the word “vexillology” on the lips of many people, as it publicized the best and the worst in state and provincial flag design. Good Flag, Bad Flag is part of the solution, condensing the best thinking on flag design into five basic principles in a short, usable format. Learn how the Association’s website jumped from 100,000 hits per month to 100,000 hits per day.