On November 11, 1889, (right after Montana and shortly before Idaho) Washington proudly became the 42nd state in the Union. For a brief period of seven months and twenty-two days, our nation proudly had forty-two states.However, because a new flag design does not become official until July 4th, there should not have been a 42 star flag. Since Washington was admitted as the 42nd state on November 11, 1889, the 42 star flag would have become official the following July 4th, but Idaho became the 43rd state on July 3rd, so the new official flag would have had 43 stars.
But do you think something like that could stop 42 from having it's own flag?
Low and behold, the public outcry for the 42 star flag was so great that many manufacturers took it upon themselves to produce, in bulk, the coveted yet unofficial 42 star flag seen below.
