From 13 stars to 50

The American flag’s long journey 

Most Americans know the story of Betsy Ross.

As the legend goes, George Washington visited the Philadelphia seamstress in 1776 and asked her to sew a flag for the new nation. Ross, according to the story, suggested fivepointed stars instead of six-pointed ones and helped create the first Stars and Stripes.

It is a beautiful story. It has been painted, printed, t…