The first national flag of the United States of America was called the Grand Union Flag and was adopted on December 3, 1775.
It was followed by the 13-star version adopted on June 14, 1777 representing the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and became the first states in the U.S.
The current 50-star version representing 50 states was designed by Robert G. Heft and officially debuted on July 4, 1960.
The American flag consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the “union”) bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars.
Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and the Star-Spangled Banner.
