One June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution stating that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” June 14 is now celebrated annually as Flag Day.
Despite being widely credited with sewing the first American flag, Betsy Ross didn't receive recognition during her lifetime. It was only after her death that her grandson relayed the story to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania—nearly a century later.
But is the account of her contribution to the American Revolution simply a legend?
Despite months of meticulous planning, NASA nearly forgot to send Apollo 11 with a token to mark the momentous occasion, so its astronauts ended up bringing store-bought American flags.
In the 1950s, over 3,000 Americans sent designs for a 50-state flag to the White House and Congress. A commission appointed by President Eisenhower reviewed these submissions and chose the winning design—a flag with five rows of six stars staggered with four rows of five stars.
Look back at what could have been America's national flag had the commission picked differently.
At the start of the American Revolution in 1775, colonists fought under different flags. The first unified flag, the Continental Colors, was created in June 1775 but resembled the British flag. George Washington then led the effort to design the distinctive Stars and Stripes. Read more.
Best-selling author Brad Meltzer unravels the mystery behind the American flag that disappeared after it was raised over Ground Zero and captured in an iconic photograph.
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