In honor of Flag Day, American flags were placed in and around downtown Artesia Monday. Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777. The flag of the United States is one of the nation’s most widely recognized symbols. The current 50-star flag was created by 17-year old Robert G. Heft for a school project in 1958. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states in the Union.