There could have been 50 stripes
Our first flag had 13 stripes for 13 states. So, what happened when two more joined the club? More stripes, of course! In 1795, with Vermont and Kentucky now part of the Union as states 14 and 15, a new flag with 15 stars and 15 stripes debuted.
As you could guess, subsequent iterations of the flag went swiftly back to 13 stripes (for good this time)—but not before the 15-striper was immortalized as the subject of Francis Scott Key’s epic poem, ‘The Defense of Fort McHenry.’ You might know it better as ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’
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