First things first
Flags and banners are omnipresent in history and present. Well-known examples are our national flags, signal flags, club pennants, the standards of the Roman legions, noble heraldic banners and of course many more. Often these are national emblems.
The first question is: What is the difference between flags and banners?
German Flag ABC
Which of these three flags was the German national flag in 1930?
Risk of confusion
In the first half of the 20th century, the two countries of Liechtenstein and Haiti noticed that they had both been using identical national flags for a long time by chance. How did this catch their eye?
Arrrrrr! ☠️
In the early modern period, pirates often approached their potential victims under a false flag. Only shortly before the attack did they raise their mostly red or black flag. Descriptions of such flags can be found at least since the early 18th century. The exact origin and actual spread of the skull and crossbones flag popular in pop culture are as unclear as its name. Only some theories and of course numerous legends exist. What is a common name for this kind of flags?
Union Jack
The Union Jack is the de facto national flag of the United Kingdom. The flag dates back to royal personal unions in 1603 and 1801. Which three ancient kingdoms are represented - and graphically united - by the flag?
Bavarian lozenges
Bavaria is the only state with two state flags (additional service flags have several). Besides the shown rhombic shape, there is also a variant with two horizontal stripes. But stop! Something is completely wrong with the flag shown! Where is the mistake?
Drapeau tricolore
The best known tricolor, a three-color flag, is the French national flag: blue, white and red are its colors. It is closely associated with the French Revolution of 1789 and the later revolutions of 1830 and 1848. Despite this long tradition, those who are particularly attentive can notice a change in recent years during state visits, press conferences, etc.: Under President Emmanuel Macron, there has been a return to an older variant of the flag, which is now seen more and more frequently.
What distinguishes this historical variant, which was popularized again in 2021?
USA flag
The current flag of the USA shows 13 stripes and 50 stars. It has been the official flag of the United States of America since 1777. The 13 stripes stand for the 13 founding states, the white stars for the current fifty states. The number of stars was last increased from 48 to 50 in 1960 after Alaska and Hawaii were declared states. For the past decade, there has been renewed discussion of counties or outlying areas of the U.S. that could be recognized as the 51st state.
Many variants of the flag were given their own names. What is the name of the only variant with 15 stripes that was officially used from 1795 to 1818?
Hint: It appears in a well-known song.
Tiranga
The flag of India was created in the context of India gaining independence in 1947. A spinning wheel is depicted in the center, which is an idea of Mahatma Gandhi. What is unusual about the flag?
European flag - "Who invented it?"
In 1955, the European flag was introduced by the Council of Europe. In 1985, it was adopted as an official symbol by the member states of the later European Union.
What is the Council of Europe that had this flag developed and invited other European institutions to adopt it as well?
