Flag Day

Flag Day is celebrated annually on June 14 to commemorate the anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States. It was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. 

The first "American" flag was created in 1775 when the Continental Army was established to fight against the British during the American Revolution, according to HISTORY.com. It consisted of red and white altering stripes and a Union Jack in the corner. Not wanting the new nation's flag to bare a resemblance to the British one, George Washington called for the creation of a new symbol. 

It was resolved during the Second Continental Congress that, "the flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation."

As more states entered the Union, additional stars were added. In all, there have been 27 official versions of the flag, according to the Library of Congress.