June 14, 1777.<br />The basic design for the American flag was adopted at the Continental Congress during the American Revolution.<br />Legend has it seamstress Betsy Ross sewed the first flag at the request of General George Washington.<br />The flag had thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen stars set in a circle against a blue field.<br />As new states declared their statehood, the flag added both stars and stripes.<br />Congress restored the original 13 stripes in the early 1800s to represent the original 13 colonies.<br />The inaugural Flag Day was held on June 14, 1877, and was designated officially by Congress in 1949.
