5 Points on Star

[EmailPoster]

Hi i was asked why the star on the flag has 5...

hi I was asked why the star on the flag has 5 points....is there a reason
for this?
thanks
dawnie

[Theresa Ludwick]

The traditional representation of a star shows five points, or "diffraction spikes," called thus because of the way the light enters the eye. This five pointedness has no particular relationship to symbolism in regards to the American flag. It is simply the most common representation of a star.

[historybuff]

According to popular legend, a committee of three men, George Ross, George Washington and Robert Morris, came to Betsy's seamstress shop in 1776 with a design of a flag, asking if she could make it. The design they proposed contained a six-pointed star. Betsy suggested a five-pointer. They were skeptical, saying it was too difficult to create. She picked up a piece of paper, folded it, and with "one snip of the scissors" created the five-pointed star. That hasn't ever been verified by historians, but it is known that Betsy sewed flags for the navy.