1

New York

Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images

New York was one of the 13 original colonies and is one of the most populated states today. Its flag, with a vibrant blue in the background, features a sun symbol, one supporter on each side, and the state’s inspiring motto "Excelsior," meaning "ever upward."

The scene in the coat of arms paints a picture of the Hudson River flanked by Liberty on the left, and Justice on the right. Topping it all off is a bald eagle, always majestic, perched atop the world. Powerful, isn’t it?

2

California

Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images

California was the 31st state to be admitted to the Union (1850) and the history behind its flag has elements present in previous models of banners used by what we know today as Mexico.

This flag was first hoisted in 1846 after American settlers in the territory fought for its independence. Finally, it was recognized as official in 1911.

The flag depicts a grizzly bear —also the official state animal— and a lone red star symbolizing previous attempts to gain independence.

3

Indiana

Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images

Indiana’s flag was designed by Paul Hadley and approved as the state flag in 1917 after the Daughters of the American Revolution held a flag design contest.

Over the dark blue flag stands a golden torch surrounded by 19 stars . The 13 stars on the outer circle represent the 13 original colonies, while the five stars in the inner circle were added to symbolize the next five states that joined the union, Indiana being the 19th.

The torch? You guessed it right, it represents liberty and enlightenment.

4

Louisiana

Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images

Blue background abounds among the official state flags and it’s no surprise since it’s one of the national colors. Louisiana’s flag is not the exception.

This flag is the only one to depict a pelican nurturing its offspring in a nest. What is curious about it is that the pelican, an animal that symbolizes devotion to progeny, is crying tears of blood, which represents sacrifice. Underneath, belted in a white ribbon, the state’s motto: "Union, Justice, and Confidence".

5

New Jersey

Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images

New Jersey’s flag is the only state flag to have a buff background , although it is wrongly depicted as yellow most times. This background color represents the uniform worn by soldiers from New Jersey’s regiments in the Revolutionary War.

In the center of the flag, there is a coat of arms supported by Liberty and the goddess Ceres, representing agriculture. Above the coat of arms, a horse’s head that stands for strength, and, below it, a helmet that symbolizes sovereignty.

6

Arkansas

Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images

Arkansas’s flag depicts a complex symbolism using well-known elements: a diamond shape, with 25 stars on the outer part, the state’s name in the middle, one star above, and three stars below.

Arkansas was the 25th state to join the union, hence the stars around the diamond. The star over the word "Arkansas" represents the Confederacy to which it was admitted in 1861. The three stars below represent different things: the nations Arkansas belonged to, the Louisiana Purchase, and the fact that it was the third state formed after such purchase. A simple design, yet a complex meaning, don’t you think?

7

Colorado

Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images

Colorado’s flag is quite simple in its design, although it represents many state elements . For example, the name, a Spanish word that means "red", is symbolized by the red C in the middle. But that’s not all, the letter C also means "columbine" the state flower, represented by the colors blue, yellow, and white. These two last colors also stand for the gold and silver present in the area.

Last, but not least, the letter C stands for "Centennial State" as Colorado became a state in 1876, when the nation was celebrating a century of its independence.

8

Washington

Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images

Washington is the only state to have a flag with a green background. At the same time, it is the only one to depict a real person . George Washington’s picture is surrounded by a golden ring that reads "The Seal of the State of Washington 1889," the year in which the territory became a state.

The background color refers to the "Evergreen State" while the golden ring represents the wheat areas of the Eastern part of the state.

9

Wyoming

Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images

This flag was also chosen during a flag design competition held in 1916. It consists of a dark blue background bordered by white and red and, in the center, the silhouette of a bison with the state seal that reads "Great Seal of the State of Wyoming."

Within the seal, the state motto "Equal rights," since Wyoming was the first state to grant women the right to vote. Below the ribbon, a farmer and a cowboy, the main occupations in the state, and two pillars that read "Livestock, mines, grain, oil." And that’s not all, at the bottom, a bald eagle and a star with the number 44, the order of admission to the union.

10

New Mexico

Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images

Let’s finish this list with what may be the simplest flag of all the 50 states: New Mexico’s. With colors that symbolize the Spanish ruling over the territory, this state flag was adopted in 1925 and it consists of a yellow background with the Zia sun in the center.

The Zia sun is an ancient interpretation of the sun and its design consists of four rays, a sacred number of the Zia. Beautiful, isn’t it?

1

Circle the wagons

Image: Dana Davis

Pioneer wagon trains literally circled their wagons at night for protection.

Creating a closed ring helped shield families, livestock, and supplies from raids, wild animals, and harsh weather—and the formation later evolved into a metaphor for any type of unified, defensive action.

2

Hold your horses

Image: Cemrecan Yurtman

Frontier riders needed to keep horses steady at all times, but particularly in chaotic and potentially dangerous settings like stage stops and river crossings.

By the mid-1800s, the phrase became a common command, later evolving into a figurative call for patience.

3

On the warpath

Image: Andrew James

This term originated as an English rendering of a Native American expression for wartime mobilization—specifically the route or course taken toward an impending conflict.

Euro-American settlers later adopted the phrase, and by the late 19th, century newspapers were using it metaphorically to describe anyone behaving aggressively or angrily.

4

Branding iron

Image: Jonny Gios

Ever wonder where the term "brand name" comes from? Frontier ranchers used heated irons to mark ownership on their cattle.

The idea of a distinctive identifying mark later moved into the commercial world, where "brand name" came to signify a recognizable product or company identity.

5

Come hell or high water

Image: Furkan Elveren

Ranchers driving cattle across rough terrain used this phrase to signal determination despite floods, storms, conflict, and whatever else the wild frontier could throw at them.

The earliest known printed use appears in an 1882 issue of The Burlington Weekly Hawk Eye, an Iowa newspaper. Railroads later adopted it in contracts requiring delivery despite natural obstacles.

6

Riding shotgun

Image: Paul Einerhand

In Wyatt Earp’s era, the seat beside a stagecoach driver was reserved for an armed guard carrying a shotgun to deter bandits.

By the early 20th century, the job had vanished, but the expression endured as a casual claim for the front passenger seat.

7

Belly up to the bar

Image: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

Saloon bars on the frontier often lacked stools, so patrons had to stand and lean their bellies directly against the counter.

The phrase soon came to mean approaching something boldly, whether at a bar or any other challenge.

8

Kick the bucket

Image: Lucas van Oort

Rural butchers often suspended animals from a beam called a "bucket," and they sometimes kicked during slaughter.

The phrase was popular on farms and frontier towns, eventually becoming a euphemism for dying.

9

Dead ringer

Image: Annie Spratt

Frontier horse racers engaged in plenty of shady practices—and one of the most common was substituting a horse with a look-alike, a "ringer," to scam bets.

When the substitute was an exceptionally close match, it was called a "dead ringer," emphasizing its perfect likeness.

10

High noon

Image: CHUTTERSNAP

Before standardized clocks or reliable rail schedules, "high noon" was an easy way to tell time by noting the sun at its highest point.

It also became associated with showdowns and other events because midday offered the clearest visibility.

1

Smuggled sandwich

Image: Gennady Zakharin

During the Gemini 3 mission, astronaut John Young secretly brought a corned beef sandwich into space . He and fellow astronaut Gus Grissom took a few bites while in orbit.

Needless to say, Mission Control wasn’t amused—there were serious concerns about crumbs floating around and interfering with the spacecraft’s systems.

2

A gorilla in the ISS

Image: Amy Reed

Astronaut Scott Kelly pulled off a wild prank during his year in space by dressing in a gorilla suit and chasing fellow astronaut Tim Peake around the International Space Station.

The costume had been secretly sent by Scott’s twin brother, Mark Kelly, as a surprise birthday gift during the mission.

3

Lunar picnic

Image: Lucie Capkova

In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history as the first humans to walk on the Moon. But they didn’t stop there.

To mark the occasion, they also shared the first meal on the lunar surface . The menu included bacon squares, peaches, sugar cookie cubes, a pineapple-grapefruit drink, and coffee.

And unlike the smuggled corned beef sandwich incident, this meal was entirely mission-approved.

4

Fined by Mars "owners"

Image: Planet Volumes

In 1997, NASA was sued by three men from Yemen who claimed that Mars had been passed down to them by their ancestors.

They accused NASA of trespassing when the Pathfinder rover landed—and even began selling plots of Martian land for $2 per square meter. Of course, the case was never taken seriously.

5

Metric vs. Imperial

Image: Bozhin Karaivanov

Back in 1999, NASA lost a Mars orbiter due to a mix-up between metric and imperial units. One team used the metric system, while another used imperial units to track thruster force.

The error caused the spacecraft to veer off course and burn up in the Martian atmosphere. It had been intended to be the first satellite to study Mars's climate and weather in detail.

6

Another fine—for littering

Image: Attila Lisinszky

In 1979, NASA’s Skylab space station re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and broke apart, scattering debris across Western Australia, about 482 kilometers east of Perth.

In response, the Shire of Esperance , a local government body in Western Australia, jokingly fined NASA $400 for littering.

7

A building with its own weather

Image: reza shayestehpour

NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center is one of the largest buildings in the world by volume, enclosing over 3.7 million cubic meters of space. It was originally built to assemble the massive Saturn V rockets used in the Apollo missions.

But its immense size—combined with Florida’s high humidity—once led to clouds forming inside . To prevent this, NASA installed a 10,000-ton air conditioning system to control moisture and protect delicate spacecraft.

8

Bathroom issues

Image: Jan Antonin Kolar

Early space missions didn’t have modern toilets—just plastic bags taped in place. During Apollo 10, this led to an awkward moment when a piece of human waste was spotted floating through the cabin .

Commander Tom Stafford asked for a napkin to grab it, but no one claimed responsibility. Minutes later, another one appeared. The crew laughed it off, but to this day, the mystery remains unsolved.

9

Mutiny in space

Image: Towfiqu barbhuiya

In 1974, the Skylab 4 crew spent 84 days in space—the longest mission at the time. Overworked and stressed, the astronauts staged the first space mutiny by taking a surprise day off and cutting communication with NASA.

They relaxed and enjoyed the view of Earth before resuming contact the next day. NASA wasn’t thrilled but learned a valuable lesson: space missions must care for astronauts’ mental health, not just their physical well-being.

10

Paid to stay in bed

Image: Kinga Howard

NASA once paid volunteers $15,000 to lie in bed for 90 days to simulate the effects of zero gravity on the human body.

It sounds like a dream job (pun intended)—until you realize they weren’t allowed to get up at all, not even for a second.

11

No insurance

Image: Vlad Deep

Before Apollo 11 launched, the crew couldn’t get life insurance due to the mission’s high risks . So Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins came up with a clever backup plan.

They signed envelopes and postcards, which friends postmarked during the mission. If the astronauts didn’t return, their families could sell them to collectors for financial support.