For America250, what date did Congress approve the first official U.S. flag design?

For America250, Congress approved the first official U.S. flag design on June 14, 1777. The Flag Resolution specified 13 alternating red and white stripes and a blue field containing 13 white stars.

The resolution was adopted by the Second Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War. It established a national emblem for the new United States, whose original states and colonies were represented by the number 13.

The modern flag has changed as new states joined the Union. Congress added stars for each additional state while retaining 13 stripes to honor the original states. The popular story that Betsy Ross personally designed the first flag is not firmly established by contemporary evidence.