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THE UNIONJACK
The first Union Jack was used in April 1604. It was a combination of the national flags of Scotland (St Andrew's blue flag with a white diagonal cross) and England (white with a red cross), and marked the accession of King James VI of Scotland as James I of England and Scotland. It briefly had an Irish harp on it, but in 1800 it became the Union Jack as waved today, when the red diagonal cross from the Irish flag was incorporated.
Actually, the "jack" is a small national flag flown from the bow of a ship, so the Union Jack is the national flag of the United Kingdom. The name "Union Jack" is used in all circumstances even though it should only be used in naval terms because of its reference to the "jack" flag.
As for the American flag - originally there were 13 stars and 13 stripes - one for each state in the U.S.A. Since then, the design has changed 23 times ! A new star was added every time a new state joined the U.S.A. The last change was in 1960 when Hawaii joined the Union bringing the total to 50 starsWords - Grammar - Links - Lessons - Civilization - Trips to Britain - Odds 'n ends -
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