For America250 history, who designed the 50-star U.S. flag as a high-school project?

Robert G. Heft designed the 50-star U.S. flag as a high-school project.

In 1958, Heft created a flag with 50 stars for a school assignment, anticipating that Alaska and Hawaii would become states. His teacher initially graded the project a B-minus, but Heft challenged the grade by explaining that the design could be used if Congress approved statehood. Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower selected Heft’s arrangement for the official flag.

The flag’s 50 stars represent the states, while its 13 stripes represent the original colonies. The arrangement has nine rows of stars alternating between five and six. The widely repeated story that Betsy Ross designed the current flag is not supported by firm contemporary evidence and concerns a different, unverified tradition.