Today, 55 years ago, the Apollo 11 flag raising on the ancient lunar surface took just 10 minutes during Neil Armstrong 's and Buzz Aldrin 's two-and-a-half-hour moonwalking adventure in July 1969.
But that important event in the history of vexillology did not come without much debate, discussion, and early concerns over the question of "who owns the moon?" (Vexillology is the study of the history, symbolism, and use of flags.)
Matthew Ward is a senior lecturer in history at the University of Dundee in Scotland. He notes that the American flag is remarkably powerful, seemingly present in the images ...
