Jun 14, 200610:41 AMThe Life

Betsy Ross: did she or didn't she?

Today is Flag Day: we celebrate the birthday of the Stars and Stripes, which came into being on June 14, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress authorized a new flag. But nobody knows for sure whether Betsy Ross made our first official flag, not even the U.S. State Department.

Trivia: (1) one early American banner was that yellow Gadsden Flag over there; (2) the Smithsonian has the flag that inspired our national anthem; (3) the U.S. Navy lists Star-Spangled Manners; (4) the study of flags is called vexillology; and finally (5) here's a postmodern reinterpretation of Old Glory.