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There is nothing more solemn than a flag at half a staff. In the United States, we lower the old glory for the death of political figures, as well as national mourning days, such asMemory Day Patriot Day, Pearl Harbor and Commemorative Day. And it's not just us. Around the world, countries lower their flags in time of mourning - and have since at least the 17th century.

So where does this secular tradition come from? According toWashington PostThe practice dates at least as far as 1612. That year, English James Hall led sailing expedition to Greenland to look for money. Unfortunately, the mission was unfortunate and the room was killed by the Indigenous Inuit of the island. However, the accounts of the first person in the incident gave us some of the oldest references to steal a mid-majors flag.

"That day, the night, came our vice-admiral, with our grand pinnace at his stern, his flag that dragged and his old [colors] dragging on his shit, which was a sign of death," writes a neighborhood - JOHN GATONBEME in an account republished in "Danish Arctic Expeditions, 1605 to 1620. "

And there is a particular reason they have chosen half a staff. "According to a scientific line of reflection, lowering the Union Jack, the sailors made room for the invisible flag of death," writesMental floss. "This explanation Jibe with the British tradition of stealing a" half-staff "flag exactly a width of a flag lower than its normal position to emphasize that the flag of death beating above that."

One of the first American times stole a half-personnel flag was in honor of George Washington's death in 1799. In this case, the order came from a general department of the Navy. According tocrwflags.comThe order stated: "Navy vessels, as in foreign ports, be mourned for a week, bringing their colors half of the high staff."

Today, the flags are stolen halfway on Peace Day Officers Memorial Day, Patriot Day, Pearl Harbor's Remembrance Day, and for the first half of the Memorial Day. In addition, the president has the power to declare that the flags are driven half of the staff whenever a main public figure dies.

In 1954, Eisenhower published a proclamation indicating how long the flags should fly halfway. The established decree should be 30 days for the death of a president or a former president and 10 days for the death of a vice-president, the Chief Justice, Chief Justice of Retirement, or From the President of the House of Representatives.Flags must also be stolen at half a day of death until the day of internment for all associated judges, the secretaries of an executive or military office, former vice-presidents and governors. If a member of the Congress dies, the flags should be stolen halfway over the day of death and although the next day.

And the President is not the only person authorized to order half a staffing. Governors are authorized to declare flags in their state to be reduced for the death of an official or old government official, or if a member of the army of this state died during the active right.

When half-staffing is ordered, all government buildings, offices, public schools and military bases are needed, by federal decree, to follow it ... a little: there is no penalty for not Steal flags at half majors. And for more fascinating trivia of the annals of the past of our country, learn the40 most durable myths in American history.

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