Designed by a high school student? The surprising story behind the US flag
The US flag is one of the most recognized national symbols in the world, flying over government buildings, at sporting events, in movies, and in popular culture. But did you know that the person who designed the American flag as we know it today was not a graphic designer, an artist, or a politician, but a 17-year-old high school student?
In 1958, Robert Heft, a high school student from Ohio, received an open-ended assignment in a civics class. At that time, the United States flag included 48 stars, representing the 48 states that made up the union in those days. Robert, who was interested in current events, noticed that Alaska and Hawaii were in the process of joining the USA and realized that the American flag was about to change again.
Instead of submitting a written paper, he decided to think one step ahead and design what he thought would be the next flag of the USA. He took his family's flag, unpicked it, rearranged the stars to represent 50 states, and sewed it back together by hand.
However, his teacher was not really impressed.
The work earned Robert a grade of B- only. Despite this, the teacher threw a playful comment at him:
"If you manage to get Congress to approve this flag, I will consider changing your grade."
Most students would probably have smiled and moved on. Robert decided to take the challenge seriously. The following year, Alaska was admitted as the 49th state of the United States, and a few months later, Hawaii became the 50th state. Following the change, there was an official need to design a new flag, and the US government received thousands of proposals from citizens from all over the country.
Robert did not settle for sending his proposal once. He sent letters, called officials in Washington repeatedly, and did not give up. His persistence paid off: out of more than a thousand proposals submitted, President Dwight Eisenhower chose his design as the new official flag of the United States.
On July 4, 1960, the 50-star flag was flown for the first time, the same flag that flies over government buildings, schools, military bases, and sporting events across the United States to this day.
And what about the teacher?
He kept his word. After Robert's design became the official flag of the United States, he changed the grade from B- to A. From then until his death in 2009, Heft lectured to audiences in the USA about his inspiring story.
Thus, one homework assignment that initially seemed like just another routine civics lesson became part of American history and a story that reminds us that sometimes a high school student's idea can become a symbol recognized all over the world.
