Curious About Flags

PODCAST 171: CURIOUS ABOUT FLAGS

RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 9TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  OUR TOPIC FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE WAS SUGGESTED BY TWO LISTENERS THAT LIVE ABOUT 1400 MILES AWAY FROM EACH OTHER.  ONE OF THOSE LISTENERS LIVES IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, WHICH IS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE UNITED STATES, VERY CLOSE TO OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE SOUTH, MEXICO.  THE OTHER LISTENER IS FROM HOWELL, MICHIGAN, WHICH IS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE UNITED STATES, VERY CLOSE TO OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH, CANADA.  DESPITE LIVING SO FAR AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, BOTH OF OUR SUPER AWESOME LISTENERS LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY SHARE THE SAME FLAG.  YOU KNOW THE ONE - THE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE ONE WITH THE STARS AND STRIPES.  BUT WHERE DID THAT FLAG COME FROM?  WHY DOES IT LOOK THE WAY IT DOES?  WHY DO ALL COUNTRIES HAVE THEIR OWN FLAGS?  LET’S LEARN MORE.

O:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

D:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

“HELLO!  IT’S EZRA AND JUDAH FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS.  EZRA IS SIX AND JUDAH IS FOUR.  WE LIKE TO LISTEN TO YOUR PODCAST IN THE CAR.  OUR FAVORITE EPISODES ARE CURIOUS ABOUT CANDY AND CURIOUS ABOUT PLANETS.  EZRA IS CURIOUS ABOUT FLAGS AND JUDAH IS CURIOUS ABOUT SUBMARINES.  THANK YOU FOR MAKING YOUR PODCAST AWESOME.  

EZRA, JUDAH, AND MOM ANGELA”

VM AUDIO FROM JACOB OF HOWELL, MICHIGAN.

O:  THANKS SO MUCH TO EZRA, JUDAH, AND JACOB FOR THE REALLY INTERESTING TOPIC SUGGESTION.  I CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FLAGS.  BY THE WAY, IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL AND MAYBE HEAR YOUR VOICE IN A FUTURE EPISODE OF CURIOUS KID PODCAST, CALL US AT 856-425-2324.  DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR NAME, AGE, AND HOMETOWN.  

D:  WE GET SO EXCITED WHEN WE GET A VOICEMAIL.  IF YOU’VE BEEN LISTENING TO CURIOUS KID PODCAST FOR A WHILE, YOU KNOW WHAT OLIVIA AND I SOUND LIKE, *AND MAYBE YOU’RE EVEN GETTING A LITTLE SICK OF OUR VOICES*.  WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU SOUND LIKE, SO LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL TO SAY HI AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CURIOUS ABOUT.  OKAY OLIVIA, WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK. 

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHICH COUNTRY HAS THE ONLY FLAG IN THE WORLD THAT DOESN’T HAVE FOUR SIDES?

D:  OOOOOOH, I LOVE THAT QUESTION.  ALL NATIONAL FLAGS HAVE 4 SIDES BECAUSE THEY ARE EITHER RECTANGLE OR SQUARE-SHAPED… THAT IS ALL NATIONAL FLAGS BESIDES ONE.  DO YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHICH COUNTRY HAS A FLAG WITH A DIFFERENT SHAPE, AND DO YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHAT THAT SHAPE IS?  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING HARD ABOUT THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, LET’S LEARN WHY COUNTRIES HAVE THEIR OWN FLAGS TO BEGIN WITH BY GOING BACK IN HISTORY. 

O:  IN ANCIENT TIMES, ARMIES USED TO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES WITH SYMBOLS CALLED VEXILLOIDS.  

D:  I NEVER EVEN HEARD OF THE WORD VEXILLOIDS UNTIL DOING RESEARCH FOR THIS EPISODE.  SO, WHAT MAKES VEXILLOIDS DIFFERENT FROM THE FLAGS WE KNOW TODAY?

O:  A LOT.  A VEXILLOID WAS A STAFF, USUALLY MADE OF WOOD, WITH A SYMBOL CARVED AT THE TOP.

D:  THE OLDEST VEXILLOID WE KNOW OF TODAY WAS CARRIED IN PERSIA ABOUT 5,000 YEARS AGO.  IT IS A METAL STAFF WITH AN EAGLE AT THE TOP.  VEXILLOIDS WERE USED TO RALLY THE TROOPS BEHIND A COMMON CAUSE AND MISSION.  THE SYMBOL AT THE TOP OF THE VEXILLOID WAS ONE THAT USUALLY HAD DEEP MEANING TO THE PEOPLE THAT CARRIED IT.  

O:  FLAGS WERE NOT MADE OF CLOTH UNTIL THE CHINESE INVENTED SILK.

D:  SILK WAS TRADED ALONG A ROUTE CALLED THE SILK ROAD, WHICH EXTENDED WEST FROM CHINA THROUGH THE MIDDLE EAST.

O:  THE MIDDLE EAST IS WHERE CLOTH FLAGS, MADE OF SILK, GOT THEIR START, BUT EVEN THEN, FLAGS WERE A LOT DIFFERENT THAN THEY ARE TODAY.

D:  AND THAT’S BECAUSE FLAGS WERE NOT USED TO IDENTIFY COUNTRIES, BUT RATHER TO IDENTIFY RANK.  IN OTHER WORDS, PEOPLE WITH A LOW RANK WOULD USUALLY CARRY PLAIN COTTON FLAGS, WHILE MORE NOBLE PEOPLE OF HIGHER RANK WOULD CARRY BEAUTIFUL AND INTRICATE SILK FLAGS, ADORNED WITH SYMBOLS AND EMBROIDERED WITH SILVER AND GOLD.  

O:  AFTER THAT, THE USE OF SILK FLAGS EXTENDED EVEN FURTHER WEST TO EUROPE WHERE KNIGHTS USED THEM TO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES IN BATTLE.  

D:  MANY COUNTRIES DIDN’T HAVE THEIR OWN FLAGS UNTIL AFTER THE AMERICAN AND FRENCH REVOLUTIONS IN THE 1700’S.  IN THOSE REVOLUTIONS, THE UNITED STATES AND FRANCE REJECTED THE RULE OF KINGS AND QUEENS.  THOSE KINGS AND QUEENS THAT THEY REJECTED HAD VERY DETAILED AND ORNATE FLAGS.  TO SHOW A CONTRAST TO THE FLAGS OF KINGS AND QUEENS, THE UNITED STATES, AND THEN FRANCE, ADOPTED SIMPLE BUT BEAUTIFUL FLAGS OF RED, WHITE, AND BLUE.  ALL OF A SUDDEN, FLAGS WERE USED TO IDENTIFY COUNTRIES AS OPPOSED TO INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE LIKE KINGS, QUEENS, AND OTHER ROYALS.  

O:  OTHER COUNTRIES FOLLOWED THE EXAMPLES OF THE UNITED STATES AND FRANCE AND DESIGNED THEIR OWN FLAGS WITH MEANINGFUL COLORS AND SYMBOLS.  

D:  MANY COUNTRIES EVEN SHARE THE SAME SYMBOLS OR COLORS, EVEN THOUGH NO TWO FLAGS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME.  ONE SYMBOL THAT CAN BE FOUND ON MULTIPLE FLAGS IS THE SUN.  THE SUN REPRESENTS ENERGY, AND IT CAN BE FOUND ON THE FLAGS OF JAPAN AND ARGENTINA.  A CROSS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A SYMBOL THAT CAN BE FOUND ON SEVERAL NATIONAL FLAGS.  IT WAS ORIGINALLY USED TO SYMBOLIZE THE POINTS ON A COMPASS, BUT IT HAS MORE RECENTLY BEEN USED AS A SYMBOL OF FAITH.  YOU CAN FIND A CROSS ON THE NATIONAL FLAGS OF ENGLAND, NORWAY, AND SWEDEN.  

O:  THE COLORS OF EACH FLAG ALSO HAVE MEANING.  RED OFTEN REPRESENTS POWER, WHITE IS A SYMBOL OF PEACE, AND BLUE STANDS FOR DETERMINATION.  

D:  DO YOU WANT TO TAKE A GUESS WHICH COLOR IS THE MOST RARE COLOR TO FIND IN A NATIONAL FLAG?  IN FACT, ONLY TWO COUNTRIES IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD HAVE THIS COLOR IN THEIR FLAG?

O:  I THINK ORANGE IS THE MOST RARE COLOR TO BE FOUND ON A FLAG.

D:  THAT’S A GREAT GUESS, BUT THE COLOR IS PURPLE.  THAT’S YOUR MOMMY’S FAVORITE COLOR.  IT CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN THE FLAGS OF NICARAGUA AND DOMINICA.  IN CASE YOUR WONDERING, PURPLE IS USUALLY USED TO REPRESENT ROYALTY AND WEALTH.  

O:  ANIMALS CAN BE FOUND ON FLAGS TOO.  THE FLAG OF ECUADOR HAS A CONDOR ON IT, WHICH IS A BIRD.

D:  AND THERE ARE EVEN COUNTRIES WITH FICTIONAL ANIMALS ON THEIR FLAGS.  IF YOU LISTENED TO EPISODE 114 ON DRAGONS, YOU KNOW THAT THE FLAG OF WHALES HAS AN AWESOME LOOKING DRAGON ON IT.  THE FLAG OF ALBANIA HAS A DOUBLE-HEADED EAGLE ON IT, AND OF COURSE THOSE DON’T EXIST EITHER. 

O:  THE NATIONAL FLAG WITH THE MOST COLORS ON IT BELONGS TO THE COUNTRY OF BELIZE.  THEIR FLAG HAS 12 COLORS ON IT.  

D:  THE OLDEST FLAG IN THE WORLD BELONGS TO DENMARK.  WHEN I SAY OLDEST, I MEAN THAT IT’S THE OLDEST FLAG THAT HAS NEVER CHANGED.  THE SAME EXACT DESIGN HAS BEEN IN USE SINCE 1625, MEANING THAT IT IS ALMOST 400 YEARS OLD.  

O:  MEANWHILE, THERE HAVE BEEN 27 DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE UNITED STATES FLAG.  

D:  THE ORIGINAL AMERICAN FLAG FROM 1777 HAD ONLY 13 STARS ON IT TO REPRESENT THE 13 COLONIES.  SINCE THEN, WE’VE ADDED LOTS OF NEW STATES TO OUR BEAUTIFUL UNION, SO STARS WERE ADDED TO REPRESENT THE NEW STATES, AND NOW WE HAVE 50 STATES AND 50 STARS.  

O:  GET READY TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN.  THE CURRENT AMERICAN FLAG WAS DESIGNED BY A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT.

D:  A 17 YEAR OLD BOY BY THE NAME OF ROBERT HEFT SUBMITTED THE DESIGN IN A CONTEST BACK IN 1958.  THERE WERE MORE THAN 1,500 DIFFERENT DESIGNS SUBMITTED FOR THE CONTEST, BUT PRESIDENT DWIGHT EISENHOWER CHOSE HIS.  HOW COOL IS THAT?

O:  AND THE CURRENT VERSION OF THE FLAG IS THE ONLY ONE THAT’S BEEN IN USE FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS.  

D:  BECAUSE STATES WERE FREQUENTLY BEING ADDED TO THE UNITED STATES, THE FLAG CHANGED OFTEN UNTIL WE ENDED UP WITH THE FLAG WE HAVE TODAY.  NO STATES HAVE BEEN ADDED SINCE 1959, SO THE FLAG HASN’T CHANGED SINCE.    

O:  FLAGS ARE IMPORTANT SYMBOLS FOR THE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTRIES THEY REPRESENT.  THEY ALSO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN SO MANY HISTORICAL MOMENTS.

D:  LIKE WHEN NEIL ARMSTRONG AND BUZZ ALDRIN PLANTED THE AMERICAN FLAG ON THE MOON BACK IN 1969 WHEN THEY BECAME THE FIRST ASTRONAUTS TO REACH THE MOON, OR WHEN EDMUND HILLARY AND TENZING NORGAY PLANTED THE FLAG OF GREAT BRITIAN AT THE TOP OF MOUNT EVEREST IN 1953 WHEN THEY BECAME THE FIRST PEOPLE TO ASCEND TO THE TOP OF MOUNT EVEREST.

ALRIGHT OLIVIA, THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  WHICH COUNTRY, OF ALL THE COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD, HAS THE ONLY FLAG THAT DOESN’T HAVE 4 SIDES?

O:  THE ONLY FLAG THAT DOESN’T HAVE 4 SIDES IS THE FLAG OF NEPAL.  CO-IN-KI-DINK.  PART OF MOUNT EVEREST YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT IS IN THE COUNTRY OF NEPAL.

D:  IT SURE IS.  SO IF THE FLAG OF NEPAL ISN’T A RECTANGLE OR SQUARE, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS IT?

O:  IT’S ACTUALLY 2 TRIANGLES STACKED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.  WAY TO BE DIFFERENT, NEPAL.

D:  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  171 - FLAGS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB TO EZRA, JUDAH, AND JACOB FOR FLAGGING A GREAT TOPIC FOR US TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT.  BY THE WAY, I LOVE YOUR NAME, JACOB.  I’M NOT SURE WHY.  HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT MOST OF THE TOPICS WE’VE LEARNED ABOUT IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS HAVE BEEN DOUBLE-MAILBAGS, OR EVEN TRIPLE-MAILBAGS?  THAT MEANS THAT A FEW OF OUR AWESOME LISTENERS HAVE SUGGESTED THE SAME TOPICS.  THAT’S WHY WE’RE TRYING TO GET TO THOSE TOPICS FIRST.  IF THERE IS SOMETHING YOU’RE CURIOUS ABOUT, LET YOUR FRIENDS KNOW THAT THEY SHOULD ALSO E-MAIL US TO REQUEST THE SAME TOPIC.  WE WANT TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT EACH AND EVERY TOPIC ALL OUR LISTENERS ARE SUBMITTING TO US.  LET US KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CURIOUS ABOUT BY SENDING AN E-MAIL TO CURIOUSKIDPODCAST@GMAIL.COM OR BY LEAVING US A VOICEMAIL.  CHECK OUT OUR SHOW NOTES FOR LINKS TO OUR WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, MERCHANDISE SHOP, PATREON SUPPORTER PAGES, AND SO MUCH MORE.  NEXT WEEK, WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT SOCCER FOR LISTENERS FROM VOORHEES, NEW JERSEY AND FROM GERMANY.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.