Rare printed 42-star American flag, cotton construction, 17 x 12 in., cut from a larger sheet and unfinished. Fine. For 243 days, the United States had 42 states, but just one day before Washington State's 42 would have become official, on July 3, 1890, Idaho entered the Union as the 43rd state. Consequently, the 42 star flag representing Washington Statehood never became official, despite having a period of 243 days with 42 states.