Five-pointed star

{{further|Pentagram#History}}

File:Coat of arms of Robert de Vere, heir to the earldom of Oxford.png (d. 1263) as shown by Matthew Paris (c. 1250)]]

The five-pointed star is the oldest symbol of Italy. Venus (once considered a star instead of a planet) represented the West and was, in Classical mythology, the symbol of the Italian peninsula, which was western to Greece.

The star (or mullet) is comparatively rare in medieval heraldry, but from an early time, the five-pointed star was preferred in English and Scottish heraldry (e.g. in the Dering Roll, c. 1270), while the preferred number of points in German heraldry was six.Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry (1909), p. 296.

The star in the coat of arms of the De Vere family was in legend attributed to the First Crusade, when

"a white star [...] did light and arrest upon the standard of Aubre de Vere".

The de Vere star is notorious in English history, because in the Battle of Barnet in 1471, the star badge of the Earl of Oxford was mistaken for the sun badge of Edward IV by the Earl of Warwick, so that he erroneously attacked his own ally, losing the battle, which probably changed the outcome of the entire War of the Roses.Brooke, Richard, "The Field of the Battle of Barnet" in Visits to Fields of Battle, in England, of the Fifteenth Century: To which are Added Some Miscellaneous Tracts and Papers Upon Archaeological Subjects (1857), p. 209.

File:Betsy Ross flag.svg from 1777]]

The five-pointed stars on the flag of the United States were introduced in the Flag Act of 1777.

The Flag Act did not specify any particular arrangement, number of points, nor orientation for the stars and the arrangement.{{cite journal|last1=Williams Jr.|first1=Earl P.|title=Did Francis Hopkinson Design Two Flags?|journal=NAVA News|date=October 2012|issue=216|pages=7–9|url=http://www.flagguys.com/pdf/NAVANews_2012_no216.pdf|access-date=16 February 2017}} Some flag makers arranged the stars into one big star, in a circle or in rows and some replaced a state's star with its initial.{{cite web | last = Lane | first = Megan | date = 14 November 2011 | title = Five hidden messages in the American flag | work = BBC News | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15634606 | access-date = 30 October 2013}} One arrangement features 13 five-pointed stars arranged in a circle, with the stars arranged pointing outwards from the circle (as opposed to up), the so-called Betsy Ross flag.

The American flag shown in the painting Surrender of Lord Cornwallis by John Trumbull (c. 1820, depicting an event of 1781) shows twelve stars arranged along the outline of a rectangle with an additional star in the center.{{cite book|last1=Cooper|first1=Grace Rogers|title= Thirteen-Star Flags|date=1973|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press |location=Washington, D.C.}}

Five-pointed stars became more frequently used in the 19th century.

The coat of arms of Valais, adopted for the Rhodanic Republic (1802), was designed with twelve five-pointed stars.

The flag of Chile, introduced in 1817, has a single five-pointed star known as La Estrella Solitaria (The Lone Star). The similar flag of Texas was introduced in 1839.

The star and crescent used by the Ottoman Empire was shown with an eight-pointed stars in early forms (18th century), but was changed to a five-pointed star in the official flag in 1844.

Numerous other national or regional flags adopted five-pointed star designs in the later 19th to early 20th century, including Venezuela (1859), Honduras (1866), Puerto Rico (1895), Philippines (1898), Cuba (1902), Panama (1925), Jordan (1928) and Pakistan (1947). The Flag of Minnesota and 1901 Maine Flag both utilized the 5-pointed design.

In 19th century the five-pointed star, which has always represented Italy, is on the copper cents coins of Vittorio Emanuele II king of Italy. Even today we find the five-pointed star in the emblem of the Italian Republic.

The five-pointed star also came to be widely used in military badges in the 19th century.

A red star was used as the badge of XII Corps of the Union Army in the American Civil War, while VII Corps used a five-pointed star in a crescent.

In 1916, a five-pointed red star was used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps' aviation section.{{cite web |url=http://fly.historicwings.com/2013/03/chasing-pancho-villa/ |title=Historic Wings - Flight Stories - Chasing Pancho Villa |author= |date=15 March 2013 |website=fly.historicwings.com |publisher=HW |access-date=21 February 2016 |quote=Just one day after arriving, on March 16, 1916, the first reconnaissance flight was flown by Capt. Dodd with Capt. Foulois (as an observer) on the Curtiss JN-3 S.C. No. 43. As with all of the Army’s aircraft in that era, the plane carried simple markings – a red star on the tail and the large number 43 painted on the sides of the fuselage.}}

The U.S. tradition of barnstars, decorative five-pointed stars attached to buildings, appears to have arisen in Pennsylvania after the Civil War, and became widespread by the 1930s.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thebarnjournal.org/stories/story018/index.html|title=Barn Stars in Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania|website=www.thebarnjournal.org}}

The Swiss 1 and 2 francs coins introduced in 1874–5 showed the figure of Helvetia surrounded by 22 stars, enumerating the Swiss cantons (in 1983 changed to 23 stars to reflect the creation of the canton of Jura).

The green five-pointed star used as a symbol of Esperanto was first proposed in 1890.

The five-pointed Red Star as a symbol of communism was adopted during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922, but its exact origin is unclear. The red star was featured on the state emblem of the Soviet Union since 1923 and has been in use in North Korea since 1948. Another variant is a yellow (golden) star on red background, as on the state emblem of Vietnam (1945) and the People's Republic of China (1949), as well as on the flags of most Communist countries. In the 1930s, red luminescent Kremlin stars were installed on five towers of the Moscow Kremlin, replacing gilded eagles that had symbolized Imperial Russia. Since then, it is customary to install similarly looking red stars atop New Year trees in the Soviet Union, a tradition that continues to this day in Russia.

In the Emblem of Italy, adopted in 1947, the five-pointed star represents the "Star of Italy".

The Flag of Europe, designed in 1955 on behalf of the Council of Europe (CoE) and adopted by the European Communities in 1985 (and thus inherited as the flag of the European Union upon its creation in 1993) has a circle of twelve yellow (gold) stars on a blue (azure) field.The EU inherited the flag's use when it was formed in 1993, being the successor organisation to the EC. It has been in wide official use by the EU since the 1990s, but it has never been given official status in any of the EU's treaties. Its adoption as an official symbol of the EU was planned as part of the proposed European Constitution, which failed to be ratified in 2005. [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2007:306:0231:0271:EN:PDF Official Journal of the European Union, 2007 C 306–2, p. 267]

File:hwof joanne woodward.jpg]]

The use of "star" for theatrical lead performers dates to 1824, giving rise to the concept of "stardom" in the film industry. The Hollywood Walk of Fame, where famous entertainers are honored with pink terrazzo five-pointed stars along Hollywood Boulevard, was introduced in 1958.{{cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/|title=Hollywood Walk of Fame|access-date=13 July 2011|work=WalkOfFame.com}}

In association football, there is a tradition of using five-pointed stars in team badges to represent victories. The first team to adopt such a star was Juventus, in 1958, to represent their tenth Italian Football Championship and Serie A title.{{Cite news|url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/clubworldcup/japan2007/news/newsid=687173/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215104842/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/clubworldcup/japan2007/news/newsid=687173/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 December 2014|title=FIFA awards special 'Club World Champion' badge to AC Milan|publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association|date=7 February 2008|access-date=15 December 2014}} The star was later formally adopted by some organisations as a symbol for ten titles, and the ratio of one star for ten titles has become the most common arrangement.{{cite news|title=Why Bayern Munich have only four stars on their shirt|work=talkSPORT|date=11 March 2014|access-date=17 June 2016|url=http://talksport.com/football/why-bayern-munich-have-only-four-stars-their-shirt-14031183047}}

Five-pointed stars may be used on elevators to indicate the ground level or lobby of a building.

They are also used on various police, fire, and paramedic badges.

{{main|Stella d'Italia}}

File:Emblem of Italy.svg, with the central Stella d'Italia. The emblem, shaped as a Roman wreath, comprises a white five-pointed star, the {{lang|it|Stella d'Italia}} (English: "Star of Italy"), which is the oldest national symbol of Italy, since it dates back to the Graeco-Roman tradition.{{sfn|Rossi|2014|p=38}}]]

The Stella d'Italia ("Star of Italy"), popularly known as Stellone d'Italia ("Great Star of Italy"),{{cite web|url=http://www.quirinale.it/qrnw/statico/simboli/emblema/emblema.htm|title=I simboli della Repubblica – L'emblema|language=Italian|access-date=2 February 2016}} is a five-pointed white star, which has symbolized Italy for many centuries. It is the oldest national symbol of Italy, since it dates back to Graeco-Roman mythology{{sfn|Rossi|2014|p=38}} when Venus, associated with the West as an evening star, was adopted to identify the Italian peninsula. From an allegorical point of view, the Stella d'Italia metaphorically represents the shining destiny of Italy.{{sfn|Bazzano|2011|p=7}}

In the early 16th century it began to be frequently associated with Italia turrita, the national personification of the Italian peninsula. The Stella d'Italia was adopted as part of the emblem of Italy in 1947, where it is superimposed on a steel cogwheel, all surrounded by an oak branch and an olive branch. From an allegorical point of view, the Star of Italy metaphorically represents the shining destiny of Italy.{{sfn|Bazzano|2011|p=7}} Its unifying value is equal to that of the flag of Italy.{{sfn|Rossi|2014|p=38}} In 1947, the Stella d'Italia was inserted at the center of the emblem of Italy, which was designed by Paolo Paschetto and which is the iconic symbol identifying the Italian State.{{sfn|Bazzano|2011|p=174}}

The Italian Star is also recalled by some honors. The Italian Star is recalled by the Colonial Order of the Star of Italy, decoration of the Kingdom of Italy which was intended to celebrate the Italian Empire, as well as by the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, the first decoration established by Republican Italy, which was replaced in 2011 by the Order of the Star of Italy, second civil honorary title in importance of the Italian State.{{cite web|url=http://www.governo.it/backoffice/allegati/58270-6115.pdf|title=Relazione di accompagnamento del disegno di legge governativo|language=Italian|access-date=2 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150604162659/http://www.governo.it/backoffice/allegati/58270-6115.pdf|archive-date=4 June 2015}} The Star of Italy is also recalled by the stars worn on the collars of Italian military uniforms and appears on the figurehead of the Italian Navy. In the civil sphere, the Italian Star is the central symbol of the emblem of the Club Alpino Italiano.{{cite web|url=http://www.esercito.difesa.it/storia/Pagine/le-stellette.aspx|title=Le stellette|access-date=4 June 2017|language=Italian}}

The symbolism of a star associated with Italy first appeared in the writings of the ancient Greek poet Stesicoro, from whom it passed on to poets such as Virgil. The oldest national symbol of Italy,{{sfn|Rossi|2014|p=38}} it originated from the combination of Venus, as an evening star, with the West{{sfn|Bazzano|2011|p=101}} and therefore with the Italian peninsula, one of which was Esperia, or "land of Hesperus, the star of the Evening consecrated to Venus".{{sfn|Bazzano|2011|p=101}}{{sfn|Bazzano|2011|p=12}} This symbolism was already attested in archaic Greek literature, in 6th century BC by the poet Stesichorus, in the poem Iliupersis (Fall of Troy) that created the legend of Aeneas which described his return to the land of his ancestors (Italy) after the defeat of Troy, under the leadership of Venus.{{sfn|Rossi|2014|p=38}}

File:Pentagram.svg

As a symbol or emblem, the five-pointed star, or mullet of five points, arises from classical heraldry, and it shares none of the esoteric or occult associations given to the pentagram, or "Seal of Solomon", since at least the Renaissance period.

The two emblems are frequently associated, or identified, in contemporary conspiracy theories, especially referencing the use of five-pointed stars in the flags of the United States and European Union.e.g. Flavio Barbiero, The Secret Society of Moses: The Mosaic Bloodline and a Conspiracy Spanning Three Millennia (2010), [https://books.google.com/books?id=z10oDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT345 p. 345].

{{main|Star (heraldry)#Modern flags}}

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• Arabic star
• List of symbols
• Nautical star
• Pentagram
• Red star, the international symbolism of socialism. Also used by United States pioneering military aircraft in early 1916
• Star (glyph)
• Star (heraldry)
• Star polygon
• Star polygons in art and culture
• Starfish
• Starfruit
• The Five Star Stories
• United States military aircraft national insignia, which have mostly used five-pointed stars since 1916

Unicode provides various Five-pointed Star Symbol:{{Cite web |title=Star symbol |url=https://www.copyandpastesymbol.com/star-symbols.html}}[https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1F780.pdf Geometric Shapes Extended Range: 1F780–1F7FF]

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Bazzano|first=Nicoletta |title=Donna Italia. L'allegoria della Penisola dall'antichità ai giorni nostri|url = https://www.academia.edu/15080772 |year=2011 |publisher=Angelo Colla Editore|language=it|isbn=978-88-96817-06-3}}
• {{cite book|last=Rossi |first=Girolamo|title=Lo scudo crociato. Un simbolo medievale nella comunicazione politica del Novecento|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uE_qAgAAQBAJ&q=stella+di+venere+stesicoro&pg=PA38 |year=2014|publisher=Armando Editore|language=it|isbn=978-88-96817-06-3}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Five-Pointed Star}}

Category:Types of polygons

Category:5 (number)

Category:Star symbols

Category:Heraldic charges

Category:National symbols of the United States

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