Flag Day: Credit, Invention and the Spirit of Discovery

Flag Day: Credit, Invention and the Spirit of Discovery
June 14, 2023
​Flag Day
By Angelique Blake, CEO of Omni Micro Systems Inc.
 
Welcome to the first blog post on Omni Micro’s site, as well as happy Flag Day! I’m not one who ever remembers the day, typically. It is my mind’s natural tendency to relocate smaller holidays to the “Well, what do you know?” section of my mind, the same place where I relegate those fairly interesting but wholly unremarkable, fairly useless, forgettable facts. I hope to remedy that, for myself as well as for the fine readers of this brand-new blog. We will not only be talking about the casual history of the flag in a repetitive story you can find through any quick cursory search. We will be examining the real meaning, what we can truly take from the idea of banners, logos, credit, invention, discovery and more.

History of Flag Day
Flag Day goes way back. It honors June 14th, 1777, when the original 13-starred banner design was approved and adopted. Many are credited for the inspiration of making this event of adoption into a holiday: Bernard J. Cigrand in 1885, In 1888 William T. Kerr, George Morris in 1861, and more.(1) Still, while many localities celebrated in around America unofficially, it wasn’t made official until President Wilson’s proclamation in 1916.(1) It was a design that has inspired flags from Cuba, to Liberia, and beyond. Still, the day celebrates a banner with dubious origins.

Betsy Ross is usually credited with both the design and the actual sewing of the first flag, with a museum of her house remaining as a historical monument in Philadelphia.(3) American school children for decades have learned this story. Still, even Historic Philadelphia Inc. cannot account for the actual sum of money paid to Betsy Ross for contribution to “a flag” in May 29, 1777, two weeks before the flag adoption. This unknown sum of money paid is one of the primary pieces of evidence of her invention.(9)

There is also a lack of evidence of any working contract for the US flag. In the time of the revolution, a contract might not have been necessary or might have even been problematic for an at-that-point treasonous flag design, so credit for the flag is even more difficult to identify. Much of the supporting tangential evidence of the contributions of Betsy Ross to the official flag is somewhat vague.

The story of the design’s origins coming from Betsy Ross were most likely apocryphal, with the real designer possibly remaining unknown, lost in time, forever.(2) While this may not seem like a tragedy, as we often don’t get the full story, it does seem like another loss to humanity and knowledge at large. It is yet another tale of a person of great influence on the world being lost to history, while their works remain.

Inventors We’ve Lost Along the Way
Van Gogh, an artist who remained relatively unknown and undervalued, died destitute.(5) Orchard with Cypresses, a painting he completed around 1888, was sold for the high value of $117.2 million in 2022.(4) Many of his works are more than priceless, reprinted and sold millions of times over. And yet, although we all know the name, the creator of such priceless artworks, we know that the influence he had was beyond any celebration he had of his work at the time.

Perhaps it could have been the frustration of remaining undervalued that contributed to his downfall and mental degradation. Many have speculated on what caused his decline.(5) Nonetheless, we received the gift of his contribution gladly, and it is doubtful if anyone would ever want to give it back.

American Scientists Working for a Cure
As for another invention that can be very accurately pinpointed in time, the invention of the vaccine, but specifically, the Pertussis vaccine, can be traced to 1933.(8) While two women were the main contributors of the invention, Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering, with the assistance of lab assistant Loney Clinton, credit was graciously shared amongst scientific collaborators. Eldering is quoted to have said “All these medical breakthroughs are a result of the work of many persons,” in 1985 to a reporter.(8) While other vaccines have become synonymous with their inventors, these particular scientists didn’t do it for the credit. Often times, similar world-changing inventions are anonymized or given to the public at large. Eldering endorsed the idea that all science is predicated on the contributions of other’s research. Nonetheless, I sincerely believe that credit must remain due to these innovators who have saved millions if not more.(8)

Lost to Time…
So what does Van Gogh and Pertussis have to do with Flag Day? We know that thousands of inventions have been lost to time, along with millions of inventors. It should feel silly to try to truly estimate the origins of inventions such as the wheel, smelted steel, glass, bread or beer, but archeologists sometimes have enough remnants that can help narrow down B.I. and A.I. in certain cultures (before and after invention).
For example, trace amounts of beer residue were found in vessels carbon dated to 7000 BCE.(6) However, a common tenet for practical archeologists, geologists and other scientists alike should be “absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence,” (a quote that can’t even necessarily be originally sourced itself).(7) While finding these well preserved remains are truly astounding and honorable proof of effort, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t tenfold more pieces of discovery that have already been lost to time. Dead cultures and their arcane will forever remain unknown to us.

Credit
The universe has been edgy since inception. It has seen it all before. Invention is so hard to truly narrow down once what has already slipped our collective minds is realized. The more epistemologically we look at the topic, the more we might see that credit might even be beside the point. Although celebrating the works of those that we know is critical, it’s never all for the credit.

Why Celebrate Flag Day: Extrinsic and Intrinsic Meaning
So why should anyone celebrate Flag Day in the first place when we know so little about the flag in the first place? Why should we celebrate Van Gogh’s work? Why celebrate beer, the car, the eradication of polio, smallpox or other beautiful inventions? Could this celebration simply be a reflection on something so core to our lives, so monumental, that it would be hard to see us continue with it extracted? I believe so.

With invention, collaboration and communication together, technology improves drastically. The invention of the printing press proves this, as does the broadening of information dissemination over the internet. Thus, while we may not have the opportunity to look back on the past, the history of this day with certainty, we can move forward with determination to engage further efforts of communication that only encourage beneficial inventions.

Logos
The most recent logo of Omni Micro Systems Inc. can also be easily sourced. It was in the winter season of 2015-2016 when I designed our logo, based off of the idea of the infinity symbol. Above the infinity symbol, a replacement for the letter S, I placed OM. I realized inadvertently that the letters together seemed to form a human being: meditating, calm, assured. I saw the beauty in its simplicity. It stated who we are: Omni Micro Systems - the infinite, the small, the humanistic approach to IT, and the reflective minds behind it.  Although I did it while working as the director of development—as most of artwork goes, by commission—the inspiration for me was a spark, after staring at silly, irresolute sketches for hours.

I realize that the flag could have been invented in very much the same way. An artist of the 18th century, maybe even Betsy Ross herself, playing with dyes, pastels or fabric tones, imagining something that could represent a new, exciting dream of an unestablished country. They could have seen the stars, thought of the blood of the war, and put these elements together. Most likely, however, it was a subconscious effect after a long time of reflection on the potentially historic, powerful meaning.

Intelligent Design and The Spirit of Discovery
While writing this blog, I tap on my glass of water. It tings so resolutely. “Tings” say something of engineering. Without metallurgy and glasswork, we would have little to no “tings” in our daily lives. Where is the glass, the spoon? How long have we had that glorious “ting”? That perfect tonal ring that chimes the presence of intellect behind design. A “ting” isn’t merely the natural result of stone against stone, a dull clap, or sand against waves, a soft sigh and hush, but something more. “Tings” are a ring of invention, intelligent design, inception.

Invention comes from within and without, from our society, our predecessors in invention, our natural environment, and our own intelligence. Invention is created through communities. It is astounding and terrifying to reflect on how often inventions could die if not for supportive communities. I do believe that no invention is an island, that it comes from the will of society just as well as the will of the individual inventor. Still, in our society, we must champion and celebrate inventions and those individuals who bring the final, finished work to life. Without them, we would surely be lacking.

For all of Omni Micro Systems’ future inventions, I would like to thank scientists, artists, and the world for their inspiration. For Betsy Ross and whatever inspiration or contribution she made, I thank as well. And to you, dear reader, thank you for inspiring me to complete this work, knowing at least meaning may be found in the sea of time and space with a separate pair of eyes. When you invent your next masterpiece, whether it is a song, a doodle, a catchy phrase, or even technology beyond the world’s expectations, I hope you think back upon the flag, upon Betsy Ross, upon the wheel, and upon the world, and give credit to all who is due, even if they are lost to time.
​
Resources

1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Flag-Day
2. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/betsy-ross-likely-didnt-sew-the-first-us-flag
3. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/short-history-united-states-flag
4. https://insights.masterworks.com/art/artists/van-gogh-most-expensive-paintings/
5. https://www.biography.com/artists/vincent-van-gogh
6. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remains-9000-year-old-beer-found-china-180978563/
7. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2019/09/17/absence/
8. Conniff, Richard. "The Undaunted." Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2022.
9. https://historicphiladelphia.org/stories/did-she-or-didnt-she/