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The earliest recorded image that We have found
was this one from Classic Motoring of the finish of the 1908
Vanderbilt Cup held on Long Island in USA. From this photograph, one
can see just how easily seen the flag is even against the background
of the spectators. But there is still no information on when was it
first used and who thought it up? This is the question to which no one
in the world has yet come up with an answer.
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By
Iain
Hush
It seemed
such a simple question! A few motoring enthusiasts were sitting in my
local watering hole after one of the F1 Grand Prix in the middle of
2000, when one of the guys said "Anyone know the origin of the
Chequered Flag" He looked around at us. " I don't mean when it was
first used but why a black and white flag?" Being the only motoring
journalist in the 'committee', they all looked at me.
I thought for a few seconds, "I actually don't know, but I am sure I
have seen early films of racing where the flag was used." This was the
best I could come up with at the time but like Albert Einstein said:
"Why try to remember everything, just remember where to find the
information!" Down came several Guinness Books of Records but there
was no reference to the origin - just pictures of the flags used in
motor racing.
"I tell you what guys, in the Guild of Motoring Journalists we have a
number of old journalists who probably reported on those early races.
They are bound to know." I am sure they will forgive me for the "old"
- it was merely a mark of respect to their experience and vast depth
of knowledge about motoring.
Meanwhile the guesses went on over a couple more ales. "It's probably
from the naval signals since a lot of these rich guys who raced in
early days were also yachtsmen," suggested one crony.
"It's not a naval flag," said another. "I was a signalman in the navy
and the nearest flag to that is November - N," he explained for those
who didn't understand the phonetic alphabet. "November is a blue and
white flag not black and white." "Maybe it's from horse-racing?" was
the next suggestion, followed by jousting which was turned down
because the winner was obviously the one who was either on his horse
or not dead.
"What about that horse race in Italy where they charge around the city
square waving huge flags?" Roman chariot racing, (they had mechanical
signals), dog racing (no) bicycle racing (nothing about flags), flags
used on early railways (only red for stop and green for go), the
ancient Greeks (don't know) and several other ideas were thrown around
but no one had a definitive answer. It was becoming more and more
intriguing!
That evening, it was into the Internet where I was quite sure I would
be able to find the answer quite quickly. After a couple of hours
trying as many sites as I could find referring to motoring racing,
'chequered flags' and several other words which might have been
related, I quit and went to bed. The following day I contacted a
couple of friends who are motoring nuts and have enormous libraries of
books and magazines. They couldn't tell me off hand but promised to
search their collections. One of them, Rod Kinsey, whose father was a
friend of Murray Walker of F1 GP racing commentary fame, contacted the
famous broadcaster. He didn't know the origin of the chequered flag.
Meanwhile I met some of the venerable gentlemen of the motoring press
at a function and posed the question to them with no results -
nothing, zilch - except that they all said "That's a good question!"
Several of them said they would ask their readers and let me know and
I wrote the story up and asked my readers, We received some replies
but again nothing positive or definitive. It was back to the Internet!
The search widens
I "asked Jeeves" to no avail. I e-mailed the Royal Automobile Club,
the governing body for many years of motor racing in UK. I tried the
AA in UK. I tried the British Road Transport Museum in Coventry. I
looked in the files of the Isle of Man TT racing which was one of the
first 'circuit' races after the Gordon-Bennett Cup, inter-city races,
was banned because too many pedestrians and crews were killed in those
early monsters. But there were few references to the intriguing and
now becoming frustrating origin of the chequered flag.
Then we had a bit of luck. Two friends found books with the same
picture of the winner crossing the finishing line at the first
Vanderbilt Trophy race on Long Island, USA and a chequered flag was
being waved! That was in 1904! This was the earliest actual proof of
'The Flag' being used. Suggestions came in that it was chosen because
it was easily seen against the multi-coloured background of spectators
and buildings in early races. That made some sense but who was the
brilliant person who thought it up, when and where?
Another suggestion was that it was American and was based on the board
used in chequers or drafts. Possible and logical since chequers was a
very popular game in the states. We contacted the local chamber of
commerce who contacted the International Motor Racing Research Centre
in New York, USA. Their researcher came up with the same result we had
reached. No one actually knew.
They did ask that if we found out, would we let them know so that they
could add it to their files. Then came another suggestion from another
motoring journalist who thought it originated from the coat of arms of
the Gordon-Bennett family in UK. The Heraldry Office in UK came back
and said they had no such sign available and certainly not for anyone
with that surname. It appears that the innocent question asked in a
local pub in KwaZuluNatal, South Africa, has set the motoring experts
of the world into a flat spin because it really is something we all
ought to know.
iain@classicmotoring.co.za.
Article
published with kind thanks To Mr Iain Hush of www.classic
motoring.co.za |
Another Thought
by Jayski
JaySki.com
jayski@pro-usa.net
What is the origin of the Checkered Flag?
No one I know has been able to come up with that answer or even much of a
guess(10-1-1999)
But was told this recently: it appears the use of the checkered flag
evolved from the days in France when Men wore checkered vests to indicate
to bicyclists the route to take through the cities during long races.
Eventually the checkered material was put on poles instead of asking
people to stand in the way of racing cyclist. The idea came to this
country through a French man to use the checkered material to end motor
car races. I was able to discount the idea that the black and white flags
were used together to end a race and they were eventually combined to make
a checkered flag because the white flag is relatively new to
racing(@1950). Thanks Caroleigh(1-22-2000)
And from the Porsche Club of America
Hysterical Ramblings
by Howard Wasserman
HWasser@ix.netcom.com
May, 1999
The inventor was Monegasque Antony Noghes (1890-1990)
who was the founder of the Grand Prix of Monaco. In 1931, Noghes invented
the checkered flag to give a clear signal to drivers that the race was
finished. Initially the flag was two black and two white squares. Over the
years the number of squares has multiplied. Here 's some more info on
Monsieur Noghes and his Grand Prix as supplied by the Automobile Club de
Monaco.
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