United States

The last state, Hawaii, joined the union in 1959, resulting in the flag we know today. Each star on the U.S. flag represents a state, therefore every time a new state or group of states joined the union it was necessary to issue a new flag. The evolution of the flag design is outlined below.

	The Betsy Ross Flag: This flag depicts the original 13 colonies, with 13 stars and 13 stripes.
	1795 Flag: Vermont and Kentucky joined the union in 1791 and 1792. This new flag with 15 stars and stripes was adopted in 1795.
	1818 Flag: In 1818, the stripes on the flag were fixed at 13, and the stars were increased to represent the 20 states in the union. However, there were no regulations about the arrangement of the stars.
	1818 Flag: This flag is another version of the 20 star 1818 design.
	1818 Flag: This flag, called the Grand Star Flag, is another version of the 20 star 1818 design.
	1846 Flag: After the Mexican-American War, in 1846, there were 28 states in the union.
	1861 Flag: There were 34 states in the union in 1861. Lincoln refused to remove any stars after the South seceded.
	1908 Flag: There were 46 states in the union in1908. There were no regulations for the arrangement of the stars on this flag.
	1912 Flag: There were 48 states in the union in 1912. The stars were fixed in the 8-by-6 rows seen on the left.
	1959 Flag: This 49 star flag was issued in 1959 after Alaska joined the union.
	1960 Flag: Hawaii was the last state to join the union, in 1859, giving us the 50 star, 13 stripe flag we fly today.

Images courtesy of US History