AMERICA'S FLAG TIMELINE

• JANUARY 1, 1776 THE FLAG IS DISPLAYED ON PROSPECT HILL WITH 13 STRIPES BUT THE BRITISH UNION JACK IS WHERE THE STARS ARE TODAY.

• 1776 IT IS REPORTED THAT BETSY ROSS HAS SEWN THE FIRST AMERICAN FLAG WITH 13 STARS AND STRIPES. THERE IS DOUBT TODAY THAT BETSY DID SEW THE FIRST FLAG. IT IS ATRIBUTED TO FRANCIS HOPKINS, A SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WHO SUBMITTED A BILL TO CONGRESS FOR HIS SERVICES TO DESIGN THE FLAG, CONGRESS NEVER PAID HIM.

• JUNE 14TH 1777 ADOPTS THE FLAG "RESOLVED THAT THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES BE THIRTEEN STRIPES, ALTERNATE RED AND WHITE, THAT THE UNION BE THIRTEENSTARS WHITE IN A FIELD OF BLUE, REPRESENTING A NEW CONSTELLATION."

• 1795 THE FLAG IS MADE WITH 15 STRIPES AND 15 STARS

• 1814 FRANCIS SCOTT KEY WRITES THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

• 1861 THE CONFEDERATE STATES SUCCEED FROM THE UNION AND ADOPT THEIR OWN FLAG

• 1892 THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IS PUBLISHED

• 1912 PRESIDENT TAFT ODERS THE FLAG TO BE MADE IN EXACT PROPORTION WITH THE STARS ALL POINTING UP WITH EVEN ROWS

• 1931 CONGRESS MAKES THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER THE NATIONAL ANTHEM 1949 PRESIDENT ORDERS FLAG DAY (JUNE 14TH)

• 1959 PRESIDENT EISENHOWER ORDERS THE STARS ON THE FLAG TO BE EVEN ROWS

• 1969 THE FLAG IS PLACED ON THE MOON

Buzz Aldrin helps deploy the first U.S. flag on the moon.

For Further AMAZING FLAG reading go to Nasa.gov for an article entitled:

"Where No Flag Has Gone Before: Political and Technical Aspects of Placing a Flag on the Moon"

HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN FLAG

On June 14th 1777 Congress wrote, "resolved that a flag for the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes alternating red and white with a Union of thirteen white stars in a field of blue to represent a new constellation"

This is all our founding fathers said about what the flag should look like. Only one sentence! This is why there are so many shapes, sizes and star arrangements made. It was left up to the individual flag makers own interpretation on what a flag should look like.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no real evidence that Betsy Ross made our first flag for George Washington. It is only claimed from one of her descendants that she made it. No one knows what our first flag actually looked like, as it has not survived. Is it was packed away in someone's trunk in their attic or barn and not know it. Most flag historians believe that Francis Hopkinson designed the first US Flag in 1777. He submitted a bill to the Continental Congress for his services to do the work, but he was never paid. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from New Jersey and a signer of the Declaration of Independence

When the states of Vermont & Kentucky were added to the Union in 1794/5 to give us our 14th & 15th States, Congress authorized that two stars and two stripes be added to our National Banner. This 1795 flag had 15 Stars and 15 Stripes. In 1818 five more States were added to the Union to bring the count up to 20 States. It became clear to Congress that to continue to add a star & a stripe for each State that was added to the Union would not be practical. They discussed narrowing the stripes but decided it was a bad idea because the flag would be not identifiable from a distance. So in 1818 Congress in its wisdom reasoned that the flag would have 13 stripes to remember the original 13 States/Colonies and we would add one star for each state added to the Union. They also ordered that only on July 4th would a State's admission to the Union be official.

Another 150 years would go by before Congress passed another resolution about our flags proportions or any other standards for it. Due to this lack of direction, flag makers continued to design on their own about the size, proportions and star arrangement of our flag.

The period prior to the 48 star flag is where the flag collector finds his unique prized flag. Because in 1912 President Taft laid down rules to govern the making of flags with 48 stars or more from that point on. The collector hopes to discover a star pattern design he has never seen before. For example, some people collect just 45 or 38 star flags to see just how many varied star patterns he can find. Others collect printed flags or sewn flags.

Pre 1900 flags were not abundant. The military & government used larges flags to fly over government building and the military used large flags to fly over ships, camps & forts. The general population did not have access to mass supply of flags until after 1900. If a family owned a flag most of the time it was hand made at home.

The first time parade flags really appeared was during the 1876 Centennial celebration in Philadelphia.