Every star on the American flag tells the story of a state joining the Union, and the flag has changed 27 times to keep up. From a flag with no stars …
1/91. Grand Union Flag | 1775–1777 | America’s first flag had no stars at all — just 13 red-and-white stripes with Britain’s Union Jack in the corner, reflecting a colony still fighting under, not against, the crown. (Image: The US Department of War)
2/92. Betsy Ross Flag | 1777 | 13 Stars | The Flag Resolution of 1777 replaced the Union Jack with 13 white stars on blue — one for each founding state — in a design popularly credited to Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross. (Image: The US Department of War)
3/93. 1795 | 15 Stars | Vermont and Kentucky’s admission pushed the count to 15 stars — and, briefly, 15 stripes too. This was the flag that flew over Fort McHenry and inspired the national anthem. (Image: National Flag Foundation)
4/94. 1818 | 20 Stars | With Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana and Mississippi added, Congress passed the Flag Act of 1818 — locking the stripes at 13 for good and setting the one-star-per-state rule still used today. (Image: National Flag Foundation)
5/95. 1819–1896 | 21–45 Stars | As the country expanded westward, the flag changed almost every few years, gaining a star with nearly every new state admitted to the Union. (Image: Network18 Creative)
6/96. 1908 | 46 Stars | Oklahoma’s statehood brought the flag to 46 stars, edging the country closer to its modern form. (Image: Network18 Creative)
7/97. 1912 | 48 Stars | New Mexico and Arizona’s admission created the 48-star flag — a design that held for 47 years, the longest run until the current one. (Image: Smithsonian Women’s History Museum)
8/98. 1959 | 49 Stars | Alaska’s statehood added a 49th star, though this version lasted barely a year before Hawaii joined. (Image: Network18 Creative)
9/99. 1960 | 50 Stars | Hawaii’s admission gave the flag its current 50 stars — the longest-serving version in US history, now flying for over 65 years. (Image: The White House)
