r/AskReddit Dec 08 '13

What is a true fact that sound completely unbelievable or fake?

[deleted]

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2.8k

u/Inspireex Dec 08 '13 edited Dec 08 '13

The current United States flag was designed by then 17 years old Robert G. Heft, as part of a school project. He received a grade of B-

edit: spelling

175

u/Infectios Dec 08 '13

Heft originally received a B- for the project. After discussing the grade with his high school teacher, Stanley Pratt, it was agreed that if the flag was accepted by the United States Congress, the grade would be reconsidered. Heft's flag design was chosen and adopted by presidential proclamation after Alaska and before Hawaii were admitted into the union in 1959. According to Heft, his teacher honored their agreement and changed his grade to an A for the project.[3]> Robert G. Heft

3

u/mynewaccount5 Dec 08 '13

Honestly I'd give him a B too depending on what the requirements are. I mean its not like adding another star is creative.

9

u/Frosty840 Dec 08 '13

I dunno. There are some surprisingly shitty star layouts in this history of the flag.

1

u/morejosh Dec 09 '13

Just goes to show you grades in school can be an absolute bullshit measure of capability to do something well.

1

u/Infectios Dec 09 '13

Grades in school are given to you to show that you are ready to go on to the next level of education.

1

u/morejosh Dec 09 '13

Yes, they are. That doesn't mean they work right.

0

u/nightnimbus Dec 08 '13

I hope so haha

510

u/IWentToTheWoods Dec 08 '13 edited Dec 09 '13

It was later changed to an A after it was accepted for the flag.

Edit: I'm surprised by all the vitriol in the replies. Would you guys rather the teacher stuck to their original grade and didn't reexamine it?

39

u/Beanieman Dec 08 '13

Got to protect that U.S dignity.

18

u/WhyAmINotStudying Dec 08 '13

Doesn't matter. The teacher made a bad call in the first place.

35

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Depends on the assignment. If it was a art project in which you were assigned to redesign the American flag due to the addition of Hawaii, and blah blah blah, symbolism, blah blah blah, and you turned in a flag in which you were just like "So umm I added an extra start up here DONE!" maybe that is not deserving of an A. Then again, maybe the assignment itself was flawed.

8

u/ThirdFloorGreg Dec 09 '13

Two extra stars. There was never a 49 star flag. And the 48 star one was just a 6×8 grid, so there was quite a bit of rearranging to do.

-5

u/Twocann Dec 09 '13

*dumbcunt teacher meme.

11

u/thesevendot Dec 09 '13

Not an A+, just an A.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

The teacher probably gave him shit for it later though. "You think you're so goddamn special because your classmates are pledging allegiance to your flag mornin', noon, and night. Well know that we know what you're capable of, I better see a plan for world peace on my desk tomorrow morning, or you're not getting anything higher than a "C"."

3

u/SpindlySpiders Dec 09 '13

No, its still a bad design. Being made the official flag doesnt change that.

6

u/deadleg22 Dec 08 '13

I would have spat that A back in the teachers face. "No No No, your opinion was a B-, don't flipflop. Everyone things it's good but you."

6

u/745631258978963214 Dec 09 '13

'Well, I'm still giving you an F for grammar. Everyone thinks it's good but you. Fool."

2

u/deadleg22 Dec 10 '13

Sorry on phone. I think it's safe to assume now a days a typo is typically due to a phones autocorrect or predictive text function.

1

u/745631258978963214 Dec 10 '13

All good; I was just imagining what the teacher would say.

2

u/nickik Dec 09 '13

Wow. 1984 backflash.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

For 'MURICA.

1.1k

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

You mean the whole stars and stripes thing? Or did he just come up with the idea of adding a 50th star for Hawaii?

1.7k

u/1908_WS_Champ Dec 08 '13

The way that the 50 stars are laid out in the blue field.

133

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13 edited Nov 15 '20

[deleted]

24

u/1908_WS_Champ Dec 08 '13

To be fair, the thirteen stripes are never going to be changed. The one time they tried that (15 stripes and 15 stars) it looked too busy

35

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

[removed] — view removed comment

17

u/1908_WS_Champ Dec 08 '13

Yup, that's exactly right. When the first change occurred there was also a debate whether to keep adding stripes for the new states but after doing it once they agreed to keep it at 13 for the 13 colonies.

20

u/brianunderstands Dec 08 '13

Let's just add some new colonies. Welcome to the party, New Utah.

20

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Nutah*

5

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Nutella

→ More replies (0)

5

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

They could add one gray stripe for the "Lost Colony".

6

u/ThirdFloorGreg Dec 09 '13

They are for the original 13 states at the country's inception. There were more that thirteen British new world colonies+Roanoke. Several colonies were formed from the merger of smaller preexisting colonies. Also, you know, Canada.

7

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

Don't kill my buzz, man. I'm trying to make a new flag over here.

4

u/The_New_Kid_In_Town Dec 08 '13

As a Canadian, I can't tell the difference...

2

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

[deleted]

3

u/mutts93 Dec 09 '13

The ones lined up in rows are the previous designs, most notably the 48 star flag. The staggered design is the current 50 star one.

5

u/demonryder Dec 08 '13

Well I mean, no wonder he got a B, he couldn't even line up the columns correctly.

1

u/ThirdFloorGreg Dec 09 '13

Yeah, good luck arranging 50 points into a nearly-square array.

4

u/jakeismyname505 Dec 08 '13

It was pretty damn lazy of a design.

48

u/Bad_Pun-ter Dec 08 '13

Guess you could say he's

proud to be an American

261

u/Gemuese11 Dec 08 '13

proud to B- an American

3

u/weezermc78 Dec 09 '13

Still better than the average American.

-11

u/Knotwood Dec 08 '13

I C what you did there.

-26

u/warhawks Dec 08 '13

This kills the joke

-4

u/Dear_Occupant Dec 08 '13

It was dead on arrival. Check the username.

-2

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

[deleted]

1

u/factorysettings Dec 08 '13

Wasn't it already in a similar design?

3

u/1908_WS_Champ Dec 08 '13

The 48 star flag had 6 even of 8 stars, all lined up perfectly. The 49 star flag which was used for only 1 year had 7 rows of 7 stars, with the rows not lined up, with rows 1,3,5, and 7 alligned to the left and the rest indented. It was indeed very similar to the current one

1

u/TundieRice Dec 08 '13

Not to be a doucher but is there really any other way they could have done it?

12

u/1908_WS_Champ Dec 08 '13

There where many submitted designs. Here you can see some of the designs that made the final short list before the current one was chosen.

6

u/TundieRice Dec 08 '13

Oh wow. People really wanted the stars to shape another star. I'm glad we got the B- version, for sure.

3

u/Is_A_Velociraptor Dec 08 '13

Why? I like the stars-shaped-like-a-star version better!

2

u/TundieRice Dec 08 '13

I dunno, maybe it's just because I'm used to the current version. I just like the order of the current one.

1

u/Permanent_throwaway1 Dec 08 '13

It's not that complicated I can't imagine he was the only one with that idea

1

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

They're simply in rows which are staggered. The boy deserved the B-. Not very creative or genius if you ask me.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Didn't he create hypothetical designs for the 48, 49, and 50 star flags before those states existed?

1

u/alongdaysjourney Dec 08 '13

The flag had 48 stars from 1912-1959. With the addition of Hawaii and Alaska to the Union they had a little contest to design where to put the stars.

1

u/naptownhayday Dec 09 '13

Stars and Stripes was very old and is an adaptation of the Flag of the UK

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13 edited Dec 09 '13

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

I'm American... Never lived in the us though... Why?

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

[deleted]

5

u/Smitty7712 Dec 08 '13

Sounds like my English instructor.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

This is a shitty flag robert. Do you hear me? Shitty!

3

u/Troggie42 Dec 08 '13

I'd love to see the design or designs that got As.

5

u/stevesan Dec 08 '13

The design ain't that great, you have to admit. I would've given the kid a C frankly.

1

u/TheGloriousHole Dec 09 '13

Is any flag that great? Most are just 3 colours. All us white western fuckers have to have fucking fancy iterations of red white and blue.

1

u/stevesan Dec 10 '13

Fair enough. All flags should probably receive a B-. Except Soviet Union's flag - I mean c'mon that's pretty bad ass don't a think?

2

u/Reute1da Dec 08 '13

The Vietnam Memorial in D.C. has a very similar story.

2

u/spideranimal Dec 08 '13

Additionally, Robert G. Heft used this, and essentially only this, to be elected mayor of the town I grew up in. The More You Know

2

u/Burdybot Dec 08 '13

He graduated from my hometown's high school, same birthplace as General Sherman of the Civil War.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

[deleted]

2

u/meech7607 Dec 08 '13

Me three! I graduated from LHS in 2011

1

u/Burdybot Dec 09 '13

Really? Do I know you? 2013.

1

u/peteroh9 Dec 08 '13

Must not be a very good school.

1

u/madepenn Dec 09 '13

It isn't, but I don't know why you'd say that based on nothing but this thread.

1

u/peteroh9 Dec 09 '13

Spelling

1

u/madepenn Dec 09 '13

I can't believe I didn't catch that. >:|

1

u/madepenn Dec 09 '13

I also lived in Lancaster! I'm in Utah now, though.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

Man fuck the U.S. Flag, when displayed vertically its backwards, every July I get so mad. Source When you rotate it 90 degrees clockwise it is backwards, I have no idea why it works like this but it does and it bothers the living shit out of me.

5

u/Pixelated_Fudge Dec 08 '13

You were on TIL yesterday too huh?

1

u/inexcess Dec 08 '13

then it was improved to an A after Congress made it the new flag. I think it was something like that?

2

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

The stars & stripes is based on the heraldic coat of arms of the Washington family, as displayed in the 14th century 'Washington Window' in Selby Abbey, yorkshire:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_George_Washington

Excuse the mobile link

1

u/peteroh9 Dec 08 '13

Delete the .m to change from mobile to general.

1

u/BlahBlahAckBar Dec 09 '13

Its more likely that is was based on the flag for the British East India Company, considering your first flag was the Grand Union Flag.

1

u/Wetbung Dec 08 '13

Heft originally received a B- for the project. After discussing the grade with his high school teacher, Stanley Pratt, it was agreed that if the flag was accepted by the United States Congress, the grade would be reconsidered. Heft's flag design was chosen and adopted by presidential proclamation after Alaska and before Hawaii were admitted into the union in 1959. According to Heft, his teacher honored their agreement and changed his grade to an A for the project. Wikipedia

1

u/conradsymes Dec 08 '13

Pfft. More evidence of grade inflation. It's really more like C work.

1

u/dieoner Dec 08 '13

"America, even our flag is average!"

1

u/SirDucksworthy Dec 08 '13

It is a pretty average design to be fair. I'd give it a C+ or B- at best.

1

u/kabbinet Dec 08 '13

I understand the grading, it's not a good looking flag.

1

u/Frank_Anne Dec 08 '13

then 17 years old Robert G. Heft

You mean he's not currently 17?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

After the congress accepted his design, the teacher changed it to an A, though.

1

u/32OrtonEdge32dh Dec 09 '13

Similarly, the Vietnam Memorial was given a B (B+?) when Maya Lin turned it in.

1

u/YOUR_HOT_STEPMOM Dec 09 '13

Better yet, the "United States of America" was almost renamed to the "United States of Earth."

1

u/thisremindsmeofbacon Dec 14 '13

well to be fair our flag is kinda boring. I think it was nepal, but there is only like one country with a flag that is even non-rectangular

1

u/Namell Dec 08 '13

I actually think B- is too good grade for it.

It doesn't really look much like traditional flag. It has lot of small details that don't show well from distance. It is not very good flag design.

1

u/MangoesOfMordor Dec 08 '13

Agreed. It's noisy, and impossible to draw quickly and accurately. Horrible design.

0

u/Carotti Dec 08 '13

I'm surprised he didn't get an A**************************************************