The surprisingly odd history of the Pledge of Allegiance. Plus, flamingos making a comeback in Florida

The surprisingly odd history of the Pledge of Allegiance.…

HOW DID AMERICANS COME TO TAKE THE PLEDGE?

Monday, September 4, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we trace the twisty history of the Pledge of Allegiance, honor workers around the world, learn about how magnesium affects sleep and anxiety … and consider a roadtrip on the loneliest road in America.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANTHONY B. STEWART, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Most Americans know it by heart (schoolchildren recite it above). But what led to the Pledge of Allegiance? And did the original pledge not have the phrases “flag of the United States of America” and “Under God”? Do other countries have such a pledge? Why did the U.S. need one?

And what was with the original Hitler-like salute?

HOW THE PLEDGE BEGAN

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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE RAEDLE, GETTY IMAGES

Are flamingos native to Florida? (Above, one walks on Miami Beach) Related: Hurricane Idalia carried many more flocks to the Sunshine State.

This video captures a rarely seen sperm whale birth. It’s beautiful.

How will we warn future generations of buried nuclear waste?

Death caps, the world’s deadliest mushroom, are spreading

A new initiative seeks to find the names of 10 million Americans who had been enslaved in the U.S.

How magnesium affects your sleep and anxiety

I see dead people: The world’s first recorded nightmare

Why don’t more people go vegan? It could be the label.

Millions of tennis balls are tossed out each year. Here’s how to recycle them.

What gives the Mediterranean diet such life-extending power?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY LYNN JOHNSON, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Work-life balance: A man hangs onto Chicago’s John Hancock Center while fixing a cable. We brought back this photo, taken for a 1989 Nat Geo article on the tower, for today’s U.S. holiday. See more photos of people working throughout the world.

UNUSUAL LABOR

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY MATHIAS SVOLD, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Getting away: Life magazine once called this the loneliest road in America. We take a ride (with extra water, just in case)—and find surprises amid the solitude. (Above, a woman prays for a man who lives in his car.)

RIDE ALONG

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY AMY S. MARTIN

This land is your land: And now there is more national parkland. Here’s how to visit America’s newest national monument, Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon (pictured above).

MADE FOR YOU AND ME

Today’s soundtrack: More than a Paycheck, Sweet Honey in the Rock

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The surprisingly odd history of the Pledge of Allegiance. Plus, flamingos making a comeback in Florida

The surprisingly odd history of the Pledge of Allegiance.…

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