At the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia, actors portraying Ross are busily sewing bedclothes for a doll-sized version of George Washington’s canopy bed. They are bringing to life evidence that suggests Ross may have, indeed, sewn the first Stars and Stripes national flag.

On the afternoon of April 30, 1789, George Washington was sworn in as the first president of the United States. Since Washington took his oath of office, Inauguration Day has continued to be an important day in American tradition. But the event looks much ...