No one knows with absolute certainty who designed the first stars and stripes or who made it. Congressman Francis Hopkinson may have designed it, but many believe that Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, made the first one.

Until the Executive Order of June 24, 1912, neither the order of the stars nor the proportions of the flag was prescribed. Consequently, flags dating before this period sometimes show unusual arrangements of the stars and odd proportions, these features being left to the discretion of the flag maker. In general, however, straight rows of stars and proportions similar to those later adopted officially were used. The principal acts affecting the flag of the United States are the following:

• On June 14, 1777, in order to establish an official flag for the new nation, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."
• Act of January 13, 1794 - provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795.
• Act of April 4, 1818 - provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state, to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following the admission of each new state, signed by President Monroe.
• Executive Order of President Taft dated June 24, 1912 - established proportions of the flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in six horizontal rows of eight each, a single point of each star to be upward.
• Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated January 3, 1959 - provided for the arrangement of the stars in seven rows of seven stars each, staggered horizontally and vertically.
• Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated August 21, 1959 - provided for the arrangement of the stars in nine rows of stars staggered horizon tally and eleven rows of stars staggered vertically.

Source: USflag.org

Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross (1752–1836) was born Elizabeth Griscom in Philadelphia and married to John Ross. John and Betsy Ross used to run an upholstery business together. John was killed in January 1776 on militia duty when gunpowder exploded at the Philadelphia waterfront. Betsy started to make flags for the Pennsylvania colony. It is said that three members of the Continental Congress namely were George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross came to visit Betsy Ross in May 1776. George Washington was then the head of the Continental Army. Robert Morris was the wealthiest citizen in the Colonies. Colonel George Ross was a respected Philadelphian and also the uncle of her late husband, John Ross. Accordingly Betsy Ross designed the flag. Although Washington initially favored using a star with six points, Ross advocated for a five-pointed star, which was later accepted.
While this event has been widely debated, it has been accepted that she made flags during the American Revolution.


Old Glory

This famous name was coined by Captain Stephen Driver, a shipmaster of Massachusetts, in 1831. As he was leaving on one of his many voyages aboard the brig CHARLES DOGGETT - which ended with the rescue of the mutineers of the BOUNTY - some friends presented him with a beautiful flag of twenty four stars. As the banner opened to the ocean breeze for the first time, he exclaimed "Old Glory!" He retired to Nashville in 1837, taking the flag along with him. By the time the Civil War erupted, almost everyone in and around Nashville recognized Captain Driver's "Old Glory." After the victory of the Union Forces in Nashville, Captain Driver hoisted "Old Glory" over the Capitol with the help of Ohio Regiment.


Present USA Flag

Legislation enacted in 1818 , that on admission of every new state into the Union, one star be added to the union of the flag. At the time of the Mexican War in 1846, the American flag contained 29 stars. At the begining of the American Civil War in 1861, the flag contained 34 stars. By the time of the Spanish-American War in 1898, the flag contained 45 stars. After Alaska was admitted as a state in 1959, the flag had 49 stars. In 1960, Hawaii were admitted to the Union and the flag had 50 stars.


Bob Heist

Bob Heft is the person who designed the 50 star American flag. Heft sent his flag to his congressman, Rep. Walter Moeller and subsequently his flag design was accepted. The 50th star flag was adopted by presidential proclamation after Alaska and Hawaii were added into the USA as new states. Heft's stars-and-stripes flag has been the second longest serving design since the nation's founding.

Flag: thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner 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; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico.