At Least It Had The Right Number Of Stripes

An elementary school in a Chicago suburb has been using a 48-star flag for decades. Guess who finally pointed out the problem?

It was not until last year when members of Cub Scout Pack 78 marched with Old Glory in a Memorial Day Parade that someone noticed that something about the flag’s symmetrical rows of stars looked odd.

It was back in 1959 that Alaska and Hawaii came into the Union. And not both at once. There was an 8 month period where a 49-star flag flew on government buildings. It was kind of a stimulus program for flag-manufacturers! But I don't think too many regular people actually invested in the 49-star version.

As I recall, my family waited. If they weren't just being thrifty, then fifty years seems long

for not a single teacher to notice the count was wrong.