America’s 250th birthday has been a banner year for the actors of Historic Philadelphia, Inc. who immerse visitors in Colonial history via first-person interpretations and true stories.
American Flag and Banner, a historic Detroit company run by Jane Miles, created a special Betsy Ross flag featuring the number 250 for America’s 250th anniversary, which quickly became a viral collector’s item despite some criticism from flag purists.
The reverence for Old Glory that inspired Flag Day came decades after the lifetime of the woman often credited with sewing the first United States national flag.
Nike is nixing its "Betsy Ross flag" sneaker after Colin Kaepernick reportedly asked the company to reconsider the design, which he suggested some might find offensive. Nike then asked retailers to return the sneakers, saying they feature an "old" version of the American flag. "Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July as it featured an old version of the American flag," Nike said in a statement. The image on the back of the shoes is the so-called Betsy Ross flag, which features 13 white stars in a circle representing the original colonies. Ross is credited with making the flag, though that has since been shown to be largely fictitious, according to the National Archives.
