Tuesday was Evacuation Day in New York City—the 225th anniversary of the day the British left the city.
Departing British troops nailed their flag to a pole downtown and greased it. Every November, a descendant would re-enact the legendary feat of John Van Arsdale, a sailor, who donned cleats and shimmied up the flagpole to replace the British colors with the Stars and Stripes. [Link]Upon further investigation, I was disappointed to learn that descendants were asked to hoist the American flag each year, not to shimmy up a greased flagpole.
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