• Year First Flown: 1845
• Designed By: Historians are not 100% certain, but believe it was either Alexander Adams or George Beckley
• Design: A flag consisting of eight equally sized horizontal stripes that alternate in colors of white, red, and blue. In the top left corner is a replica of the British Union Jack flag.
• Meaning: The eight stripes represent the eight main islands of Hawaii: Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Nihau, and Kahoolawe. The British Union Jack is used to signify the history between Hawaii and Britain.

In the 18th century, Hawaii's islands each were governed by their own king, but the islands were united under the most powerful King Kamehameha I. In 1788 the islands were accidentally discovered by Captain Cook, who had been in search of the northern coast of California. After Hawaii became familiar with the English, they asked Great Britain for protection. On February 21st, 1794, Hawaii officially became a protectorate of England. A quick four days later, the British Union Jack was raised over the Hawaiian Islands for the first times. While there is no definitive proof of this theory, it is said that during the War of 1812 Kamehameha raised the flag of the United States over his kingdom. However, it was supposedly removed when British allies objected to it. In 1816, Kamehameha commissioned the design of a new flag that combined elements of the U.S. and British flags. Historians debate who truly designed the flag, but it was most likely created by Alexander Adams or George Beckley (both commanders in the Royal Hawaiian Navy). In 1843, an English lord by the name of Paulet seized the Hawaiian Islands from King Kamehameha III (a descendent of King Kamehameha I). For four months Paulet taxed Hawaiians and forced them into military service. Kamehameha III asked the British and American government for help, and both countries did their part in order to restore Hawaii's independence. On July 31st, 1843, there was a great celebration of Hawaii's restored status as an independent nation and a slightly different version of the original Hawaiian flag was raised. There was some disparity among the number of horizontal stripes in the flag, so in 1845 it was officially decreed that the Hawaiian flag would have eight stripes. Hawaii went through a few more government changes throughout its history, but after it joined the Union of the United States of America the same 1845 flag design was adopted as the official flag of the state of Hawaii.