Big Dipper: A Big Part of History
Stories about the Big Dipper can be found in many different cultures. Some stories date back to 1400 B.C.E. Many Native American cultures judged the strength and maturity of a young man by his ability to locate the Big Dipper. If the young man could find the Big Dipper in the night sky, and accurately describe the double star in the handle, the elder knew that the young man would have good eyesight when hunting for food or when defending the tribe. Before the Civil War, the Big Dipper was a guide to freedom for slaves traveling on the Underground Railroad. The Big Dipper points to the North Star. Runaway slaves who found the Big Dipper used it to lead them North to freedom.

Benny and the Big Dipper
In 1926, a contest put thirteen-year-old Benny Benson in Alaskan history books forever. Children from grades seven to twelve were selected to participate in a contest that involved creating a design for the Alaskan flag. Seventh-grader Benny Benson was one of the participants. Benny decided to use all of the beautiful things that represent Alaska in his design. He decided that the background color of the flag should be blue. Blue represents the Alaskan sky and is also the color of the forget-me-not, Alaska's state flower. He decided to decorate the flag with eight gold stars that represented the seven stars of the Big Dipper and the North Star. The stars are symbolic of Alaska's position in relation to the heavens. The state of Alaska has used Benny's design on the state flag ever since!