Today is “Flag Day” in the United States. Since 1960, we have had 50 stars arranged as they appear in the image left.
The first flag back in 1777 had 13 stars – one for each of the original states. Since then, according to USA Today, the number of stars has changed 27 times.
According to the article…
“Congress did not mention how the stars should be arranged. Flag makers across the country came up with their own imaginative designs; some officially adopted by the federal government, and unofficial banners used for a variety of purposes.”
This feels like an early example of Open Innovation. A challenge was presented to the public (in this case, how to best arrange the stars) and then anyone could “submit” creative solutions. The government then chose the best ones and adopted them.
If you want to see the many creative ways in which the stars were arranged over the years, be sure to watch the animation on the USA Today website. Imagine the number of variations that would have existed had 99designs.com been around back in the 1800’s.