Complex sentence: The flag on the right has 50 stars but the one on the left shows only 45 stars, the July 4,1896 configuration; this is because when the company was established in 1898, there were only 45 states.
Split into simpler sentences: The flag on the right has 50 stars but the one on the left shows only 45 stars: the July 4,1896 configuration. This is because when the company was established in 1898 there were only 45 states.