Today is Flag Day! On this day in 1777 the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution, which designated the first official American flag. The first flag, which featured thirteen stars and thirteen stripes, has become known as the “Betsy Ross flag,” but it is uncertain whether Betsy Ross actually created the original design. Did you know that there have been twenty-seven different American flags over the course of our nation’s history? The one we use today, which features fifty stars, became our national emblem in 1960.

President Woodrow Wilson designated Flag Day as an official holiday in 1916. However, the idea of an annual celebration of the flag dates back to 1885 when schoolteacher Bernard J. Cigrand held the first known Flag Day.

To celebrate Flag Day, decorate your home with an American flag and start brainstorming party ideas for the 4th of July!