Cyndi Janzen, playing the part of famous seamstress Betsy Ross, displays the U.S. flag at the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia on June 6, 2006. Fourth of July celebrations often include reenactments of historic events such as the sewing of the first U.S. flag in Philadelphia in 1777.

According to legend, Ross was working in an upholstery shop when she was approached by George Washington, Robert Morris and her late husband’s uncle, George Ross, about making the first flag. George Washington pulled from his coat pocket a folded piece of paper on which was sketched a flag with 13 red and white stripes and 13 six-pointed stars. (Betsy Ross convinced the men to use a five-pointed star instead). On June 14, 1777, Congress adopted the banner Ross created as the official national flag.

Today the flag has 50 stars representing the 50 U.S. states and 13 stripes representing the original 13 colonies. As each new state joined the union, a new star was added to the flag on July 4 of the year following its entry. (© AP Images)