It seems like almost yesterday that the state of Missouri acquired a state flag. The date was March 22, 1913, and this was part of a movement motivated by the development of aluminum flag poles, the 1893 Columbian exposition in Chicago, and the admission of three new states: Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona, all occurring in the early twentieth century. Only a few states had an official flag prior to 1900, but with the availability of sturdy aluminum flag poles states could hoist their banners