11 Things You Might Not Know About the Pledge of Allegiance

On September 8, 1892, the first appearance of the "Pledge of Allegiance" occurred in Youth's Companion. An excerpt from the article:

3. "That’s when Bellamy’s co-worker, James Upham, came up with the idea of using the forthcoming 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in America to sell more flags. The Youth’s Companion called for a national Columbian Public School Celebration in conjunction with the kickoff to the World’s Columbian Exposition (a.k.a. the Chicago World’s Fair), which was set to open in October 1892. Bellamy created an official ritual for schools to follow and successfully promoted it at a national convention of school superintendents. His original Pledge? 'I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'”