The "Flags, Mottos.....The Whole Shebang!" Story

Pennsylvania's state bird the Ruffed Grouse

It was an ordinary day.  Just walked through the cafeteria of the Landis Run Intermediate School in Neffsville, Pennsylvania after sorting out the yearbooks that will be distributed before the end of the school year.  I have been responsible for the yearbook since the school was opened half a dozen years ago and enjoy working with the staff and students in order to create a lasting memory for the many students that have and will travel through the school in the past and future.  Hanging in the cafeteria are four large stained glass panels that were made by the students two years ago.  They are beautiful and wonderfully done in one of the art classes in the 5th and 6th grade school.  

Pennsylvania's state tree the Eastern Hemlock

One panel was designed to show the state animal, one for the state fish, one for the state tree and one for the state bird.  The state of Pennsylvania is known as the "Keystone State" since it played a key part in the political, economic and social development of the United States of America.  Made me think what the flag, motto and other relevant information might be about the state in which I live.  You ever think about what motto, flower, flag, etc. might be for the state or even the country where you live?    I have been to a few countries in Europe and quite a few islands in the Caribbean as well as a few regions in Mexico and have not thought much about what they may be proud of or the reason why they have selected their flag, motto, flower, etc.  So I "Googled" it!  

Motto of Indiana

First, I found what the motto of all 50 states in the United States is and how they were ranked according to how they tell about the state.  The worst motto was awarded to the state of Maine whose motto is "Dirigo" which is Latin for "I direct".  Could it be called that due to all the lighthouses they have?  I have no clue what it means.  

#1 rated state motto is "Live Free or Die"

Ranked #25, or in the middle of the pack, was Indiana which is known as "The Crossroads of America" and it really is!  As far as Pennsylvania's southern neighbor, Maryland, they rank 21st of 50 with a motto of "Fatti maschi, parole feminine"!  So, what's that mean?  I really couldn't find a good answer except for the fact that it means "Manly deeds, womanly words" in Italian.  As for my home state, it is ranked 2nd best motto for "Virtue, Liberty and Independence".  Makes sense since Philadelphia is the home of the Continental Congress and the building blocks of the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were developed in Pennsylvania.  And, we can back up those claims with 200 years of history.  So what is the #1 motto?  Goes to New Hampshire's "Live Free or Die".  Similar to "Give me liberty or give me death.  While I was at it I checked out some of the flags of the states as well as flags of other countries.  Came across an article that talked about four national flags with crazy origins.  

The national flag of Antigua & Barbuda

The Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, after declaring indepen- dence from British rule in 1967, held a competition to design the new flag.  They had over 600 entries with Sir Reginald Samuel being the winner.  He waited to the last minute to come up with and idea and spent only 30 minutes on his idea.  His 7-point sun represents the dawn of a new era, the gold color of the sun as well as the blue and white stripes symbolize the sun, sea and sand which attract tourism.  The red refers to the blood of the nation's forefathers and its "V" shape means Victory at last.  The black background is for soil and African heritage.  Now, there is no way this guy came up with all that stuff and drew the shape of everything in 30 minutes.  

The national flag of Scotland

The oldest flag in Europe comes from Scotland which traces it flag back to 832 AD.  King Angus led an army of Picts on a mission to take Lothian and was confronted by the powerful Saxon troops of Athelstan.  Angus led his soldiers in prayer thinking it was the end, but they were greeted with the sight of clouds resembling the St. Andrew's cross set against a blue sky.  He promised in his mind to make the cross the national flag if they won the battle.  Thus the blue and white flag.  Now that's really stretching the story to think the flag looked like a cross in the sky.  Fun to read all the reasons why states, countries and nations have selected what they have for their flag, motto, etc.  I think the Ordinary Guy needs a motto and flag.  Gonna have to work on that!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Thought. you might want to see the other stained glass panel created by the students at Landis Run.  This one is the state's animal, the white-tailed deer.

This is the state fish, the brook trout.