June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress issued a resolution making the Stars and Stripes the nation's flag. Enjoy a little red, white, and blue from across the Smithsonian. Visit the O Say Can You See ...

Until the Executive Order of June 24, 1912, neither the order of the stars nor the proportions of the flag was prescribed. Consequently, flags dating before this period sometimes show unusual ...

These stripes switch between red and white on every other line ... Again, there isn't an official meaning behind the flag's colors, but PBS states that "blue represents vigilance, perseverance ...