Broad Stripes, Bright Stars, and White Lies: America's First Flag

Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag. At least, that's what we were taught in school. But when historians go searching…there’s no proof to be found. So how did this story get started? In this special hour-long episode of the Smithsonian's Sidedoor podcast, we unravel the Revolutionary history behind this vexillogical tall tale. In the process, we learn that the real Betsy Ross was anything but the mild mannered seamstress we think we know. And we discover the work of the women behind another of America's most famous flags: the Star Spangled Banner.

Sidedoor is a production of the Smithsonian Institutuion. More than 155 million treasures fill the Smithsonian’s vaults, but where public view ends, Sidedoor begins. With the help of biologists, artists, historians, archaeologists, zookeepers, and astrophysicists, host Lizzie Peabody sneaks listeners through Smithsonian’s side door to search for stories that can’t be found anywhere else.

This feature was lead produced by James Morrison. Our production team includes Executive Producer Ann Conanan, Senior Producer Lizzie Peabody, Associate Producer Nathalie Boyd, and Mix Engineer Tarek Fouda. Our editorial team includes Sharon Bryant, Jess Sadeq, Lara Koch, and Tami O'Neill. Episode artwork is by Dave Leonard.