The Continental Congress approved the first national flag of the United States on June 14, 1777.
Congress passed the Flag Resolution during the American Revolutionary War. It specified thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue field, representing the thirteen United States. The resolution did not provide the detailed construction instructions used for later standardized flags.
June 14 is now observed in the United States as Flag Day. The anniversary connects a wartime congressional decision with a continuing national symbol, although the flag has changed substantially as new states joined the Union.
A common misunderstanding is that the original flag always had fifty stars. The star count increased as states were admitted, while the number of stripes was reduced to thirteen in 1818 to represent the original states. The current fifty-star design began in 1960 after Hawaii joined.