Celebrating Old Glory
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Monday is Flag Day, the 222nd birthday of our grand old flag. On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress voted to create the first Stars and Stripes. The arrangement of the stars on the blue field wasn’t specified, so a variety of designs resulted. The first Army flag had the stars organized in a circle to signify the equality of the original colonies. This version is the one ascribed by legend to Betsy Ross.
In 1818, Congress decided the number of stripes on the flag would remain 13, and a star would be added for each new state on the 4th of July after its admission. The most recent star--the 50th--was added for Hawaii in 1960
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