Lone Star flag turns 180: Texas flag was officially approved on Jan. 25, 1839

The Republic of Texas officially approved the iconic red, white and blue Lone Star flag on this day 180 years ago.

The simple flag – a vertical blue stripe one-third the width of the flag with a white star and two horizontal stripes of white over red – was approved by Texas President Mirabeau Lamar on January 25, 1839.

The first flag of Texas was actually a solid medium blue with a single gold star in the center. It didn't even last three years. The flag Texans know was created in 1838 and approved by the Texas Congress in early 1839 before being officially designated the flag by President Lamar.

A State House resolution from 1997 says Dr. Charles B. Stewart of Montgomery County created the iconic flag and Montgomery County, in the Houston area, is officially designated as the birthplace of the Lone Star flag.