Table of Contents
NUMBER OF STARS IN THE U.S. FLAG, AND ADDITIONAL STATES REPRESENTED 1777 TO PRESENT Date of Flag Additional states with date of entry into Union 49 stars – July 4, 1959 to July 3, 1960 Alaska (January 3, 1959) 50 stars – July 4, 1960 to present Hawaii (August 21, 1959).
When were the 49th and 50th stars added to our flag?
1898: Hawaii annexed as a United States territory. 1959: Alaska and Hawaii admitted, respectively, as the 49th and 50th states of the Union.
When did the US have a 48-star flag?
During the Truman Administration (1945-1953), the flag that fl ew over the United States had 48 stars. The 48-star flag is the flag that soldiers and sailors fought for during World War II.
Did the US flag ever have 49 stars?
On January 3rd, 1959, the 49 star flag became the official flag of the United States. Alaska was the 49th state formally granted statehood under an Executive order by President Eisenhower (January 3rd, 1959). The 49-flag flew for only one year, and it was flown only under President Eisenhower.
Who made the first flag with 50 stars?
For an American history project during his junior year of high school in 1958, Bob Heft created a 50-star flag. The only problem was that at the time there were only 48 states. Bob had a hunch that two more states would be added and in 1959, Alaska and Hawaii became our 49th and 50th states.
Why did Hawaii and Alaska became states?
Like Hawaii, Alaska became a state only after World War II. The Democrats, out of power and looking for an advantage, wanted to acquire the two senate seats that would be awarded to Alaska if it became a state. They were successful, and Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959.
How many stars were on the flag in 1917?
Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.
Are there 48 or 50 stars on the American flag?
The 48-star flag was in effect for 47 years until the 49-star version became official on July 4, 1959. The 50-star flag was ordered by then president Eisenhower on August 21, 1959, and was adopted in July 1960. It is the longest-used version of the U.S. flag and has been in use for over 61 years.
Was there a 47 star flag?
47 Star American National Flag. The 47 star flag is rare because it represents the addition of New Mexico in January of 1912. Arizona gained its statehood in February of 1912, so the 47 star count was accurate for only one month.
Does the American flag have 50 stars?
There are 50 stars representing the 50 states and there are 13 stripes representing the 13 original colonies.
What did the US flag look like when there were 49 states?
Description of the flag In 1959, one star was added, representing Alaska, bringing the total number of stars to 49. There were thirteen stripes representing the thirteen original colonies. This flag flew from 4 July, 1959, to 3 July, 1960. The 49 star series became official when Alaska was admitted to the Union.
Why does the American flag only have 50 stars?
The 50 stars stand for the 50 states of the union, and the 13 stripes stand for the original 13 states. The flag’s width-to-length ratio is 10 to 19.
How are the fifty stars on the US flag arranged?
The Flag of the United States of America consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars.
Where was 50 star flag made?
Heft designed the current United States flag as a school project in Lancaster, Ohio, when he was 17 years old. He received a B- for his project from his teacher, Stanley Pratt.
Did a 17 year old designed the American flag?
In 1958, 17-year-old Robert G. Heft was assigned an American history project while attending Lancaster High School in Ohio.
What do the 7 red stripes on the flag mean?
Today the flag consists of 13 horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with six white. The stripes represent the original 13 Colonies and the stars represent the 50 states of the Union.
Why can’t Puerto Rico become a state?
The political status of Puerto Rico is that of an unincorporated territory of the United States. As such, the island of Puerto Rico is neither a sovereign nation nor a U.S. state. The political status of the island thus stems from how different Puerto Rico is politically from sovereign nations and from U.S. states.
Who did the US buy Hawaii from?
In 1898, a wave of nationalism was caused by the Spanish-American War. Because of these nationalistic views, President William McKinley annexed Hawaii from the United States.
Who owned Alaska before Russia?
Interesting Facts. Russia controlled most of the area that is now Alaska from the late 1700s until 1867, when it was purchased by U.S. Secretary of State William Seward for $7.2 million, or about two cents an acre. During World War II, the Japanese occupied two Alaskan islands, Attu and Kiska, for 15 months.
What did the American flag look like in 1860?
The flag was made of cotton and linen with the stars sewn on the blue field. The stars were arranged in a somewhat unusual fashion, with two rows of 7, two rows of 6, and two rows of 5, leaving an empty semi-circle on the outer edge of the blue field.
Why does the American flag have 15 stars?
The Star-Spangled Banner has fifteen stars and fifteen stripes as provided for in the second Flag Act approved by Congress on January 13, 1794. The additional stars and stripes represent Vermont (1791) and Kentucky (1792) joining the Union.
Did Betsy Ross make the flag?
Although seamstress Betsy Ross is often credited as the maker of the first American flag, there’s no evidence that’s true. The myth was born during a wave of flag fervor that swept the nation nearly a hundred years after the Revolutionary War.
