Date: August 24, 2026
US Historical Flag on Display:
50 Star Flag
History of the Flag:
The 50-star U.S. flag It became the official national flag of the United States on July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became a state on August 21st, 1959.
A 17-year-old Ohio high school student named Bob Heft designed the flag for an American history project during his junior year of high school in 1958. Bob created a 50-star flag. The only problem was that at the time there were only 48 states. Bob had a hunch that two more states would be added and in 1959, Alaska and Hawaii became our 49th and 50th states.
Bob created the 50-star flag by cutting up a 48-star flag his parents had received as a wedding present. “I’d watch my mom sew, but I had never sewn…and since making the flag of our country, I’ve never sewn again.”
Bob’s teacher was unimpressed and gave him a B- asking if he even knew how many states we had, and telling him, “If you don’t like the grade, get it accepted in Washington then come back and see me.”
Two years later, his perseverance paid off when he received a call from President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who invited him to Washington, D.C., for a ceremony adopting his 50-star flag. Bob’s teacher also went back and changed his grade to an A.
This is the longest-serving design in the history of the US Flag.
Presidents Who Served Under the 50-Star Flag
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1960–1961)
John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
Richard Nixon (1969–1974)
Gerald Ford (1974–1977)
Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)
George H.W. Bush (1989–1993)
Bill Clinton (1993–2001)
George W. Bush (2001–2009)
Barack Obama (2009–2017)
Donald Trump (2017–2021)
Joe Biden (2021–2025)
Donald Trump (2025–present)
Note: Dwight D. Eisenhower was the only president to serve under the 48-, 49-, and 50-star flags during his single/dual administration periods.
This is the flag that was planted six times on the lunar surface,
Was flown during the John F Kennedy’s Inaugural Address “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”.
Martin Luther Kings “I have a Dream” speech.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union.
September 11, 2001, as America was attacked by terrorists.
Is currently flown by those troops who keep us safe by their service around the world.
Source: Smithsonian / history.com
Link to my blog (UNITED STATES HISTORICAL FLAGS 1 & 2) to see all the flags to date