A drawing contest became a life-changer for 13-year-old Benny Benson. The year was 1927. The Alaska ­American Legion sponsored a ­design-the-Alaska-flag contest for children in the seventh ...

This undated photo shows a building that remains at the site of the Jesse Lee Home in Seward, Alaska, where the territorial flag, which later became the Alaska state flag, was first flown.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The state of Alaska has issued a corrected birth certificate for the teenage designer of the Alaska flag, after researchers who were looking into his heritage found records ...

In 1959, 32 years after Benny won the contest, Alaska became our 49th state, and his flag has waved proudly ever since. A memorial to Benny Benson shows his design for Alaska’s flag in 1827, 32 ...