Betsy Ross probably didn’t make the first American flag.

Betsy Ross with U.S. flag

In 1777, Congress passed a resolution dictating that the official flag of the newly founded United States would consist of 13 white stars against a blue background, and 13 alternating red and white stripes. According to popular myth, the first American flag was subsequently created by Philadelphia resident Elizabeth “Betsy” Ross. There’s just one problem with this common narrative: There’s no evidence that it’s actually true.

The claim that Betsy Ross made the first American flag didn’t surface until 1870 — nearly a century after the nation’s founding — in a speech Ross’ grandson William Canby delivered to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Canby said that his grandmother would often recount a story of the time she received a visit from George Washington, who presented her with a proposed design of 13 stripes and 13 six-pointed stars, and asked if she could create a flag based on the sketch. According to Canby, Ross agreed, and even came up with the idea to give the stars five points instead of six, and to arrange them in a circle.

Canby’s story was compelling, and the speech was widely circulated in popular newspapers. Before long, it became accepted as fact that Ross created the first American flag. However, although Canby produced affidavits from Ross’ daughter and granddaughter corroborating the tale, he never offered any concrete evidence — including, crucially, the flag itself. (In fact, there’s no evidence of any American flag that can be traced back to Ross.) Over the years, historians have called Canby’s account into question, and while it’s been established that Ross did sew flags for the Pennsylvania Navy, some historians suggest the original Stars and Stripes was actually created by Francis Hopkinson, a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress. They cite a bill that Hopkinson sent to the Congress in 1780, asking for payment for designing “the flag of the United States of America.” But this theory also remains unconfirmed, as the Congress refused to pay Hopkinson for his services, claiming he “was not the only one consulted.” To date, the true origin of the American flag remains a mystery.

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The flag that “The Star-Spangled Banner” is based on can still be seen today.

“The Star-Spangled Banner,” the United States national anthem, is based on a specific American flag made in 1813 by Mary Pickersgill, a Baltimore designer and seamstress. Her flag became immortalized when Baltimore’s Fort McHenry was attacked by the British navy in September 1814, during the (misleadingly named) War of 1812. After several days of fighting, the United States finally emerged victorious, and as the British fleet retreated, the large American flag that Pickersgill had made was raised above the fort. At 30 by 42 feet, the flag was so massive, it could be seen for miles around the fort, including by American Francis Scott Key, who was on board a British ship 8 miles away negotiating the release of a prisoner. The sight inspired Key to write the poem “Defence of Fort M'Henry,” whose words became the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Pickersgill’s flag, with its unusual arrangement of 15 stars and 15 stripes, can still be seen today (though it’s missing one of its stars) on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.