In honor of Flag Day and the Fourth of July, the Smithsonian unveils the often misunderstood stories behind two of our nation’s most famous flags: the Betsy Ross flag, and the Star Spangled Banner.

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 vexillogic 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.

Airs Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 9am.

Sidedoor is a production of the Smithsonian Institution. 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.