The American flag we know and love today — 13 alternating horizontal stripes of red and white, a blue canton in the upper-left corner with stars representing each of the states — first emerged in 1777, according to The Washington Post. A century later, Betsy Ross’ grandson, William Canby, gave a speech in which he claimed that his ancestor had approached George Washington with some suggestions, including five-pointed stars instead of six-pointed ones, the former being easier to sew, according to National Geographic. Newspapers began repeating Canby’s claim as fact, and soon enough, an historical hoax was born.

In fact, Canby had no evidence for his claims except for sworn affidavits from his family members. Ross herself, though she was a seamstress and did sew flags, never claimed in her lifetime to have had anything to do with the flag.

So who did design the flag? Likely Francis Hopkinson, who had designed other insignia used by the nascent nation, and who even submitted a bill to the Continental Congress for his work. Specifically, he asked to be paid in wine, which he apparently never received, according to National Geographic.