If the Union Jack joins the flag of England and Scotland, why does it have a different shade of blue than the Scottish flag?
score:79
Accepted answer
In 1606, people didn't have pantone guidelines to keep colours consistent - nor did it matter. Heraldry only has a limited number of colors. Variations on blue exist but are not standard, so any blue could be used.
It just so happened that the English were already using a blue, in the Blue Ensign being used by English ships. Wikipedia even suggests its darker colour was more durable:
Various shades of blue have been used in the saltire over the years. The ground of the current Union Flag is a deep "navy" blue (Pantone 280), which can be traced to the colour used for the Blue Ensign of the Royal Navy's historic "Blue Squadron". (Dark shades of colour were used on maritime flags on the basis of durability.)
Adapting the colours of the naval ensign made sense because the Union Jack was originally meant for naval use only. See the original decree:
Whereas, some differences hath arisen between Our subjects of South and North Britaine travelling by Seas, about the bearing of their Flagges...
More post
- π How did the Emperor Titus die?
- π Why is there a statue of Francis Drake in Coquimbo, Chile?
- π Why didn't China assist in the Vietnam War like they did in Korea?
- π Why do Spaniards have their lunch and dinner so late?
- π What were the Allies' plans if they caught Hitler alive?
- π Was it militarily possible to "island hop" the Philippines if not for MacArthur?
- π Did the Germans invent "Unexpected Pot-Shots"?
- π Was there any separation between hunting bow technology and weapon bows?
- π What is the most widely accepted theory on the ancient "Sea Peoples"?
- π Did the empresario system exist only within Mexican Texas?
- π Which was the last major war in which horse mounted cavalry actually participated in active fighting?
- π When Israel won the Six Day War, did they consider expelling all Arabs from the annexed territories?
- π When did it become customary to address the King/Queen of England as Majesty?
- π Is Japanese democracy an isolated example?
- π In ancient Rome, did a lot of people feel guilty about owning slaves?
- π Jewish Money Lenders in England: What happened to Money Lendings after Expulsion?
- π Why did China shut itself out of the world in the 15th century?
- π What did Richelieu mean by his "six lines" quote?
- π Did the founding fathers think civil wars would be frequent?
- π How did the Russian-American Company hire serfs?
- π What is the earliest evidence for the use of hearing aids?
- π To what extent did the medieval European peasantry know their extended family?
- π What happened with North African oil during the Second World War?
- π Was the Missouri Compromise too arbitrary to stop spreading of slavery to the west and the north?
- π What were the main causal forces leading to rise of fascist movement and fascist government in Germany?
- π Why is/was the world's expo 1967 so important to Montreal, Canada?
- π Why did Shock Therapy fail so badly?
- π Who was the American settler Tolman of Kamchatka?
- π What did the word "leisure" mean in late 18th Century usage?
- π Why did Nero order many of the Pisonian conspirators to commit suicide instead of having them executed by the sword?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- π If the Union Jack joins the flag of England and Scotland, why does it have a different shade of blue than the Scottish flag?
- π Why did the kingdoms of Scotland and England merge?
- π Why does the United States keep using "old" date representations and imperial system, while being in the minority?
- π Why did Britain and France not declare war against the Soviet Union when it invaded Poland in WW2?
- π Why did the Soviet Union have multiple airplane manufacturers?
- π Did the U.S. and Soviet Union have a submarine battle in 1968?
- π Why did the Soviet Union close its borders and restrict travel abroad?
- π Why did Stalin and the Soviet leadership have Leon Trotsky assassinated?
- π Why did the Monitor and Merrimac (aka Virginia) have such radically different designs?
- π Why does the amount of days in an year on average of the Gregorian calendar only have 4 decimal places (365.2425)?
- π Why did Kabila discard the name and flag of Zaire?
- π Why did the negotiations between Henry V of England and France fail?
- π Why does US currency have a 25 cent piece and a 20 dollar bill instead of a 20 cent piece or 25 dollar bill?
- π Why does the US House of Representatives have a ceremonial mace, but the Senate does not?
- π Why did England and Portugal cheap out on the Battle of Aljubarrota?
- π What is this card, and why does it go "on the hat"?
- π Does Japan have the constitutional and legal right to have its own army or navy?
- π Why does the Δ¦aΔ‘ar Qim seem to have drilled holes / pitted dots on its stoneworks?
- π Why did Homerβs Greeks sack so many cities in the Trojan War? Does it make them mostly pirates and slave raiders?
- π Why did Empress Elizabeth and Catherine the Great of Russia have such different policies toward Frederick the Great?
- π Why did the coins of England minted under Richard I and John bear the name of Henry?
- π What alternate north-south supply routes did the Soviet Union have when the Volga and Stalingrad were under attack?
- π Why does Texas have the right to split?
- π Why does Brazil have many more Italian descendants than the U.S. or Argentina when the latter two received more Italian immigrants?
- π Why does Northern Ireland not include the counties Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan?
- π Why did Germany have so many important scientists and thinkers around the turn of the 20th century?
- π How and Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse?
- π Why have North and South Korea stopped marching together at the Olympics?
- π When and why have the Neo-nazi view of Slavic peoples changed?
- π Why does the USA only have two political parties?