That word was added in 1941 in an effort to combat widespread illiteracy.
The official design of the state flag has not changed since 1941, however, unauthorized Oklahoma flag designs became prevalent throughout the state, so much so that the correct and official design of the flag was becoming lost. These unauthorized flags displayed stylized eagle feathers, incorrectly shaped crosses, an incorrectly shaped calumet, wrong colors, or combinations of these and other errors.
In 2005, an Oklahoma boy scout leader designing patches for a National Jamboree contingent was looking for an image of the Oklahoma state flag and noticed that there were multiple unauthorized designs of the Oklahoma state flag displayed on state government, historical, and educational websites. With some research he was able to identify the official design to use, but because of the prevalence of unauthorized designs, he contacted his state representative, and was the impetus to standardize the colors and shapes by Oklahoma Senate Bill 1359 and signed into law by Governor Brad Henry on May 23, 2006, taking effect on November 1, 2006.
State Nickname:
Oklahoma is called “The Sooner State.”
The unassigned lands of the Oklahoma Territory were opened up to settlement claims on April 22, 1889. Thousands of people were in line on the border waiting for the signal to be given so they could race into the territory to claim a stake of land. Some people went in early to stake claims and they became known as “Sooners.”
According to the Kentucky Historical Society, “The early legal settlers of Oklahoma Territory held a very low opinion of sooners. That began to change by 1908 when the University of Oklahoma adopted the name for its football team. By the 1920s the term no longer carried a negative connotation, and Oklahomans adopted the nickname as a badge of pride and progressivism. Although never officially designated as such by statute or resolution, Oklahoma has since been known as the “Sooner State.”