Sale:: Which state's flag was designed by a 13-year-old?

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Which state's flag was designed by a 13-year-old?


	January 27, 2026

Original photo by Joseph Sohm/ Shutterstock

Alaska's flag was created by a 13-year-old.

Every flag has a story, but few are as endearing as Alaska's. One of the rare places to have a flag before it was actually a state, the Last Frontier held a contest to design its territorial standard in 1926 — and a 13-year-old won. (The contest was open only to Alaskan children in grades seven to 12, but it's still impressive.) Benny Benson lived in an orphanage known as the Jesse Lee Home in Seward, Alaska, when he came up with the winning design, which included a description he wrote himself: "The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaska flower. The North Star is for the future of the state of Alaska, the most northerly in the Union. The dipper is for the Great Bear – symbolizing strength." His design also featured "1867" in commemoration of the year the United States bought Alaska from Russia, although the numbers didn't make the final cut.

In addition to being hailed as a local hero, Benson won a watch with his design on it and a $1,000 scholarship. He eventually used that money to attend Hemphill Diesel Engineering School after moving to Seattle in 1936. He was 45 when Alaska became a state in 1959, fulfilling the hopeful description of his design. Alaska kept its flag instead of adopting a new one, and Benson's work lives on today.

Are You Too Young To Think About How You're Aging? Probably Not

Starting in our 30s, some key cellular processes begin to slow down, making us feel tired and weak over time. This decline affects not just our physical strength and endurance, but significantly reduces our quality of life, making everyday activities harder to enjoy. Luckily, scientists have discovered a way to shape how we age. Mitopure®, by Timeline, targets the root cause of this cellular decline and is clinically proven to increase cellular energy, giving our bodies the energy they need to function optimally. The results? Double-digit increases in muscle strength without any change in exercise.

Take aging into your own hands. Interesting Facts readers get 30% off with code 30NEWSLETTER for a limited time, while supplies last.

*500mg Mitopure® have been shown to (1) induce gene expression related to mitochondria function and metabolism and (2) increase the strength of the hamstring leg muscle in measures of knee extension and flexion after 4 months in overweight 40-65 year olds.

Order Now

*This content is brought to you by our sponsor, which helps keep our content free.

		Numbers Don't Lie

State flags without the color blue (Alabama, California, Maryland, New Mexico)

Amount the U.S. paid to purchase Alaska in 1867

$7.2 million

Population of Juneau, Alaska's capital, in 2022

32,451

Federally recognized tribes in Alaska

228

Paraguay is the only country with a two-sided flag.

Just as most (but not all) flags are quadrilateral, most countries' standards are also one-sided, meaning they have designs only on their fronts. The exception that proves the rule is Paraguay, whose flag has both an obverse (front) and reverse (back). The front features red, white, and blue horizontal stripes and the country's coat of arms in the center, while the back has the same stripes but the seal of the treasury in the center instead. Some countries used to have two-sided flags, including Lithuania and the Philippines, as did countries that no longer exist (the Republic of Formosa, in what is now Taiwan, had an especially nice one in 1895), but Paraguay is the only present country with one. Here in the U.S., Oregon also has a two-sided flag.

Today's edition of Interesting Facts was written by Michael Nordine and edited by Bess Lovejoy.