Manuel Belgrano

From Freepedia

Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano, usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (June 3, 1770 – June 20, 1820) was an Argentine lawyer, politician, and military leader, born in Buenos Aires.

In 1812, Belgrano created the national flag of Argentina; it was raised for the first time on February 27 of that year, in an island in the Paraná River, right opposite the city of Rosario, where a monumental complex (Monumento Nacional a la Bandera, National Flag Memorial) was built in 1957 in honor of the flag. The Flag Memorial and the park that surrounds it are the seat of national celebrations every Flag Day, on June 20, the anniversary of Belgrano's death.

The warship ARA General Belgrano, which was sunk during the Falklands War, was named after him. A small town in the province of Córdoba, Argentina, Villa General Belgrano, is also named after him, as well as part of the avenue that leads to the Flag Memorial in Rosario (Avenida Belgrano).