The Stars and Stripes Forever Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about John Philip Sousa

The 14th of May is commemorated as The Stars and Stripes Forever Day in recognition of John Philip Sousa’s march of the same name. In 1987, it was renamed the National March of the United States. A typical performance of the march begins with a four-bar introduction, followed by the first and second’strains’ which are repeated.

The background of The Stars and Stripes Forever Day

John Philip Sousa’s autobiography “Marching Along” from 1928 states that ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ march was composed on Christmas Day, 1896. It was composed while Sousa and his wife were returning from a vacation in Europe and he learned of the demise of his band manager, David Blakely. After his return to the United States, he wrote the observations down on paper.

On May 14, 1897, “The Stars and Stripes Forever” was first performed in public at Willow Grove Park outside of Philadelphia, where it was enthusiastically received. A congressional act from 1987 designated ‘The Stars and Stripes’ as the official national march of the United States of America. The march is extensively known in the entertainment industry as the “Disaster March.”

In the early 20th century, ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ march was commonly used as an emergency signal in theatres. It would serve as a subtle alert to emergency personnel, allowing them to marshal all exits effectively without creating a stampede. During the Hartford circus fire on July 6, 1944, in which at least 168 people perished, ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ was used as an emergency signal in a memorable instance.

In 1987, it was designated as the National March of the United States to honour John Philip Sousa’s march with the same title.

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5 FACTS ABOUT JOHN PHILIP SOUSA

John Philip Sousa was born in Washington, D.C., near a Marine barracks, and his father was a member of the U.S. Marine Band.

John Philip Sousa was the 17th leader of the Marine band after becoming its conductor in 1880.

John Philip Sousa composed the Marine march, known as ‘Semper Fidelis,’ in 1888.

A British journalist dubbed John Philip Sousa “The March King” after he wrote and composed ‘The Washington Post’ in 1889.

John Philip Sousa entered the Naval Reserve at the age of 62 during World War I.

THE STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER DAY DATES