The Stars and Stripes were officially adopted on June 14, 1777 as John Adams addressed the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
His words were "Resolved, that the flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation."
Since that time there have been 27 versions of the flag, as stars were added whenever a new state entered the Union. The most recent addition was July 4, 1960 when the 50th state, Hawaii, was added.
It was President Woodrow Wilson who officially established June 14th of each year as National Flag Day. He did so by proclamation on May 30, 1916.
Flags that have flown over the Unites States Capitol Building in Washington D.C. are available for purchase for anyone who wants one. Simply contact your Senator with your request Senators representing the State of Ohio are as follows:
Your flag will be mailed to you and should arrive within 4 weeks after the date you chose. Since September 11, 2001 it has taken a bit longer to receive the flags - but they will come.
You will also get a Certificate from The Architect Of The Capitol certifying that your flag was flown as requested. If you mentioned in your request letter that this flag is for any specific occasion, that information will be included on the certificate.