The Great Star Flag, which will be featured in the 175th parade, was current from 1837 (when Michigan became a state) until 1845 (when Florida became a state and boosted the stars from 26 to 27).
Fun Facts:
1. The present 50 star configuration is the longest-running version of our flag.
2. At the time of the Great Star flag, there was no “standard configuration” for the stars. As a result, some flag makers made flags with stars in a row (like present flags) while other flag makers placed the stars in the Great Star configuration.
3. From 1795 until 1818, our flag had 15 stripes, symbolizing Vermont and Kentucky in addition to the 13 original states. After 1818, our flag returned to 13 stripes, when people realized that Vermont and Kentucky aren’t actually that cool.
