Flag of the United States

The flag of the United States also known as the American flag, Old Glory, Old World flag, or U.S. flag, was the national flag of the United States of America.Ulysses' logs; Ulysses log Y-17.21Fallout 76 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide p. 393: "24. ROUTE 24 TURNOUTA cluster of rusty military vehicles and Old Glory on a flagpole indicate what used to be a road turnout."(Fallout 76 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Atlas of Appalachia)
Several variants of flags are found throughout the wasteland, where some are craftable. Trifold American flags were given as commemoration for military service.Treasures inventory One of these flags from an Anchorage veteran was donated to the Treasures of Jamaica Plain exhibit.
==Background==
One of the first known variants of the United States flag bears similarities to the real world Betsy Ross flag. The pattern of the flag is 13 alternating red-and-white stripes with stars in a field of blue in the upper left corner canton. Its distinguishing feature is thirteen five pointed stars arranged in a circle, which in the real world represent the thirteen colonies that fought for their independence during the American Revolutionary War.
The second flag utilized by the country consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the "union") bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternate with rows of five stars. The fifty stars on the flag represent the fifty states of the United States of America that existed before the introduction of the Commonwealths.
With the introduction of the Commonwealths system in 1969, the canton that would normally represent the states was amended to reflect the number of constituent commonwealths.Massachusetts State House plaque: "The 'new' state house was completed in 1798 to house the government of the state of Massachusetts. The land selected was originally John Hancock’s cow pastures. The first dome was constructed of wooden shingles and covered in copper smelted by Paul Revere. The state government used this building continuously until the formation of the Thirteen Commonwealths in 1969." The number of stars represents the commonwealths that comprise the United States of America.Patient log: Y-17.5Fallout Bible 8: "Chris Avellone asks:Why does the Fallout flag have 13 stars?Tim Cain says:Leon [Leonard Boyarsky] said he used that flag because it looked cool and he didn't want to use a standard American flag with 50 stars. Eventually he planned to make up something about 13 super-states or something, but he never did." 
Two variants were used: One with 12 stars surrounding a central one, dating back to the foundation of the Thirteen Commonwealths, and another with thirteen stars, introduced before the Great War. The two versions were used alongside one another.There is no explicit explanation for the addition of a thirteenth star to the circle. Barring simple changes in design between Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, which is when the 14 star flag was introduced, the addition can be explained as representing annexed Canada. This would explain why the roundel in the flag retrieved from the Moon landing site has twelve stars in the circle, while roundels definitely issued after the annexation have thirteen (such as the Survivalist's rifle, issued by the Long Branch Arsenal in Ontario, USA territory).
Despite this change, the 50 star flag was still used, albeit rarely, in posters, weapons, armor, and clothing.U.S. Army recruitment posters, Stars and Stripes bandana, Dynamite (Fallout: New Vegas), Winterized T-51b power armor (world object) Delta IX rockets also had a 50 star flag painted on their fuselages, next to the crew section entrance hatch.Delta IX rocket in the Museum of Technology
Believing themselves to be the continuation of the pre-war US government, the Enclave adopted a version of the pre-war 14-star flag, replacing the star in the center of the flag's canton with their insignia.
==Variants==
Type 	Image 	First used 	Appearances 	Appearances 	Appearances 	Appearances 	Appearances 	Appearances 	Appearances 	Notes
Type 	Image 	First used 	Fallout 	Fallout 2 	Fallout 3 	Fallout: New Vegas	Fallout 4 	Fallout 76 	Fallout 	Notes
14 star 	 	Lonesome Road 
(2012)	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	Current standard; stars point outwards
13 star 	 	Fallout 3
(2008)	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	Also intended for use in Van Buren.Motorcycle helmet (Van Buren)
14 star 	 	Fallout
(1997)	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	First design, stars point inwards
Enclave 	 	Fallout 76
(2018)	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	Used by the Enclave, post-war.
Historic flags 	Historic flags	Historic flags	Historic flags	Historic flags	Historic flags	Historic flags 	Historic flags	Historic flags	Historic flags	Historic flags
50-star flag 	 	Fallout 2
(1998)	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	Divergence
48-star flag 	 	Fallout
(1997)	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	1912-Divergence; also appears in vintage propaganda posters in Fallout Tactics
34-star flag 	 	Fallout 76 
(2018, cut)	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	1861-1863
Betsy Ross flag	 	Fallout 4
(2015)	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	1777-1795
Erroneously used on Frank Horrigan's talking head model
==Notes==
==Behind the scenes==
*In game flags look similar to real world flags utilized over the course of the United States' history, specifically the Betsy Ross flag and the Cowpens flag.
*The idea of using a different flag design for the United States originated in Fallout in 1997. Tim Cain commented that the 13-star flag was used because Leonard Boyarsky favored it, planning on creating a backstory about 13 super-states to it that never materialized.Fallout Bible 8: "Chris Avellone: Why does the Fallout flag have 13 stars?Tim Cain: Leon [Leonard Boyarsky] said he used that flag because it looked cool and he didn't want to use a standard American flag with 50 stars. Eventually he planned to make up something about 13 super-states or something, but he never did." The design was only seen briefly in the intro and in a promotional render, and was later seemingly forgotten: Fallout 2 (1998) used a plain 50-star flag as basis for assets such as the flag in the President's office, while Frank Horrigan has a Cowpens flag on his pauldron.
* The alternate flag was intended for use in Van Buren (cancelled 2003), with a 12+1 design planned for use (as seen on the helmet textures and J.E. Sawyer's design for the Enclave insignia for SIMPLE).
* With Fallout 3 (2008) the franchise went back to using an US flag with a circle of stars, however with 12 stars surrounding the central star instead of the 13 used currently in the franchise. This flag design would also be used in Fallout: New Vegas (2010), until the release of its add-ons.
* The current standard, with 13 stars surrounding a single central one, was introduced in Lonesome Road (2011) and remained in use in mainstream games ever since (Fallout Shelter being the notable exception), and has been prominently featured (2024). Some depictions have the stars aligned like in the European Union flag, but official depictions always use the rotated, outward-facing version.
==Gallery==
; 13+1 star variant (current)
FOTV American Flag.png|TV series flag
USA Flag Pre-War 13 star alt.png|13 star (13+1) variant (FNV onwards)
FO76 US flag clean.png|Whitespring
FO76 flag01 d.png
FO4NW External 101.jpg|Flying in Bradberton
Fo76 Red white an blue.png|Hanging in the Whitespring Resort
FO76 Location misc 26.png
FO76 Camp McClin US flag.png
FO76 101021 Location 2.png
FO4 JP Interior 4.jpg|Anchorage veteran's flag
FO76 Flag on da wall.png
FO76 Armor Ace flag.png
FO76 Trifold American flag.png|Trifold American flag
F76 Pioneer Scouts Poster.png|Flag depicted on a Pioneer Scouts poster
RedGlare.png|Red Glare
FO76WL Army Anchorage Poster.png
FO4 Location 310721 30.jpg|Fort Strong
FNV Locations 150921 12.jpg|Nuclear missile in the Divide
FNV Hopeville Propaganda 1.png|Divide billboard
FO76 Morgant Resp 3.png
FO4 Old Glory above Lexington.jpg|Above Lexington
FO4 WRVR Old Glory.jpg|Flying above the WRVR broadcast station
;13+1 star variant (inward stars)
USA_Flag_Pre-War_13_star_Fo1.png
Flagnarmor.gif|Flag behind a T-51b power armored soldier from Fallout
Fo1_Intro_Slide_Flag.png|Intro version
;13 star variant
USA Flag Pre-War.png|13 star (12+1) variant (Fo3-FNV)
FO3 US flag nifskope.png
Wallflag1.png|Texture file Capital Wasteland wall flag
Flag01.png|Texture file Mojave wall flag
Orbitflag.png|Texture file Virgo II
FO3 Museum of Tech interior 3.jpg|Museum of Technology
FO3 Museum of Tech interior 26.jpg
FO3 Museum of Tech interior 24.jpg
FO3 Museum of Tech interior 25.jpg
HD Tower 1 mural.jpg|On the side of the Hoover Dam tower
FNV Forecaster home 1.png|The Forecaster's flag
OA T51b worn US flag.jpg|Decal on the Winterized T-51b power armor found inside the VSS armory
USCouragePoster.png
FO3 Vault 101 classroom flag.png|Flag above Mr. Brotch's desk in Vault 101
FNV Hoover Dam power plant flag.jpg|Flag above power plant 01 in the Hoover Dam
FNVHH Silo view from bottom.jpg|Flag in the Hopeville silo
FNVHH US flag billboard.jpg|Flag as seen in Lonesome Road
Nvdlc03 endingslide owflag.jpg|Final ending slide of Old World Blues
Operation Anchorage.png|Flag on the achievement/trophy image for completing Operation: Anchorage
F76 FS Propaganda 1.png|Anti-Free States poster
F76 FS Propaganda 1 Rev.png|Vandalized anti-Free States poster
;50 star variant
Flag of the United States.svg
OA T51b old US flag.jpg|Decal on suits of Winterized T-51b power armor in the Anchorage Reclamation simulation
File:Better Tomorrow.jpg|Fallout 2 promotional art
Fo2_US_flags.png|Presidential office in Fallout 2
USRecruitementPoster.png|Poster 
USWarBond.png
FNV CDA Propaganda Billboard.png|Recruitment billboard
Fo3 Delta XI Rocket.png|Delta IX rockets, displaying the flag of the U.S. with fifty stars
Stars and Stripes bandana.png|Bandana
BandanaStarsNStripes d.png|Bandana texture file
Long-fuse dynamite.png|Dynamite from Fallout: New Vegas, visible at the end of the stick
;48 star variant
Flag_of_the_United_States_(1912-1959).svg
NC Wyeth - War Bonds Poster - 1942.jpg|War bonds poster with the 48 star flag in Fallout
FO1 Uncie Sam intro slide.png|Fallout intro slide
FOT Poster 5.jpg|War bonds poster with the 48-star flag in Fallout Tactics
FOT Poster 4.jpg|War bonds poster with the 48-star flag in Fallout Tactics
;34 star variant
Flag of the United States of America (1861–1863).svg
FO76 Unused tw009flagcw01union d.png|Unused Union flag 
==References==
Non-game
Flag