Thomas “Ski” Demski held an honor that no other person in the United States could boast during his lifetime. He owned the largest American flag in the world until his death in 2002.
The flag, dubbed the “superflag,” was and is the only one of its kind. While numerous other larger than life flags have been unfurled at sporting events and such, the superflag is so large that it couldn’t fit on a football field. In fact, it is about one-and-a-half football fields long and one football field wide.
The superflag measures and impressive 505 feet by 225 feet and weighs 3,000 pounds. It takes 500 people to stretch out and hold, and each star is 17 feet high! To help you imagine the size of the flag’s 50 stars, imagine they are as tall as three grown men standing on top of one another.
One of the most memorable displays of the superflag was when it was displayed over the Hoover Dam to commemorate the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay. The flag was also honored by the Guinness Book of World Records as being the World’s Largest flag, a record that has since been broken although it is still the World’s largest American flag.
Prior to his death, Demski was asked why he loved flags as much as he did. He replied, “Because it represents our country and what it stands for. It means freedom to me and there’s no sweeter word.”
It’s unclear who is now in possession of the superflag as it hasn’t been seen in years. But, the next best thing is seeing the largest flying American flag that is located in Gastonia, North Carolina. Old Glory is attached to 225-foot pole that is five feet in diameter. The pole that holds the flag weighs 80,000 pounds.
The flag itself is 114 feet wide by 65 feet tall with each stripe measuring 5 feet tall. Locals say that the flag can be seen from over 30 miles away. See this beautiful flag flying in North Carolina in the video below.