Good morning. It’s Wednesday, July 3.Here’s what you need to know to start your day. Let’s unpack a bit of California flag history they didn’t teach us in grade school.

In 1953, the image of the bear on California’s state flag was standardized based on an 1855 watercolor painting of Monarch by Charles Nahl, as well as the green plot of grass Monarch is standing on.

The California state flag, depicting Monarch. Douglas Sacha/Getty Images Before the grizzly adorned the California state flag, the bear was used in a publicity stunt to sell newspapers.

This is the design of the first California bear flag, flown during the short-lived Bear Flag Revolt of 1846. The original flag was lost during the San Francisco Earthquake, but a copy was saved.

Why are flags at half-staff in California? In each state, the governor is responsible for issuing flag directives. Each year, there are pre-determined dates for lowered flags, and the Governor of ...