The first American flag was created in 1776. It was called the Stars and Stripes. It had 13 stars in a circle on the left. It also had 13 stripes. The number 13 represented the 13 colonies that existed at the time.

There is no proof of who made the first flag. But most people agree that it was Betsy Ross. It is also believed that Betsy said the stars should have five points. George Washington had originally suggested six point stars.      

Betsey sewed the flag at her house. In 1777, the United States accepted it as the official flag. Flag Day, on June 14th, celebrates the acceptance of the flag.

This first version of the flag is sometimes called the Betsy Ross flag. But it is not the flag that we know today. There have been 27 versions of the flag. Each time a state was added to the union, another star was added to the flag.

The current flag was designed by Robert Heft in 1958. Robert was only 17. He created the design as part of a school project. He believed that Alaska and Hawaii would become states. So he gave the flag 50 stars.

Robert’s teacher gave his project a B- because it had too many stars. But Robert decided to send his design to the White House anyway. He made a deal with his teacher that if his design became the new flag, he would get a better grade.

President Eisenhower received 1,500 flag designs. The U.S. Congress picked Robert’s design to be the new flag. Robert’s teacher changed his grade to an A.

Robert’s flag is the only one that has lasted more than 50 years. He actually created another design with 51 stars in case the U.S. added another state. But it has never been needed. Robert’s design has become a symbol of the United States that is recognized around the world.