Roosevelt look-alike Pietro Casini, an Italian merchant. Casini stands outside his Magazzino Roosevelt shop in Florence, Italy, holding a U.S. flag and a photo of Roosevelt. Oct. 26, 1915. George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. via Pinterest
October is not a big month for dates to fly the U.S. flag. Only one state joined the union in October, and only two other dates have merited Congress’s designation for flag-flying.
Here are October’s three flag-flying days, in chronological order:
- Columbus Day, October 12 — tradition puts Columbus Day on October 12, but in law it is designated as the second Monday in October (to make a three-day weekend for workers who get a holiday); in 2016, October 10 is the second Monday of the month.
- Navy Day, October 27
- Nevada Statehood Day, October 31; Nevada joined the union during the Civil War, in 1864, the 36th state.
Federal law also designates October 9 as Leif Erickson Day, a concession to Scandanavian-descended Americans who argue Erickson beat Columbus to the Americas by a few hundred years. Congress’s recognition does not include an urging to fly the flag, though the President may issue such a proclamation.
Other notable stuff:
- President Obama’s proclamation, October is National Energy Action Month
- October is National Disability Employment Month
- October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Week ending October 8 is National Community Policing Week
- October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
- October is National Youth Justice Awareness Month
- October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- October is National Youth Substance Use and Substance Use Disorder Prevention Awareness Month
More:
- How to fly the U.S. flag (Mental Floss)
- “Guidelines to Display the U.S. Flag,” at the website of the American Legion, carrying a note they came from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Congress’s flag etiquette guide, “Our Flag”
- A few rules from the Boy Scouts of America guide on flag etiquette
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 
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I agree.
At the same time, I find it most useful to point out the correct ways of displaying the flag, and best and expected times.
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Ed, I’m not a flag-waver, and many of the people who fly them do not do so in accordance with proscribed protocol. They should only be flown: during daylight hours, or with a light at night; never during inclement weather; and they should never be flown when torn or faded. Disposal should be by burning, and various civic organizations–such as Boy Scouts and some Veterans’ Groups–burn them properly, if dropped-off.
As a Vietnam Vet (two tours), I personally believe that some of those who do so are demonstrating a false sense of patriotism or, perhaps, overcoming a feeling of guilt for not stepping forward when it truly counted, not flying a symbol several decades later.
I know people who fly the flag, and that certainly is their right to do so–as it is the right of others who do not fly one. I would rather respect and honor those who lost their lives for this country, rather than the symbol that represents it.
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He does look like Roosevelt!
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