Historical Old Glory (13 - 49 Stars)

Shown here are the 27 legal flags flown throughout our
history, with effective date(s) and state addition(s) that
changed the star field.

By law, a star is added to the U.S. Flag on the 4th of July
following the admission of a State(s) to the Union.
Contrary to popular belief, the first official U.S. Flag was not
the Betsy Ross Flag (13 stars in a circle) but the staggered
star pattern shown in the below 13-star flag.

It is important to note that no U.S. Flag ever becomes
obsolete. Each flag shown is still a legal flag and may be
flown at any time.