Joseph Fennimore, kneeling, second from left, made this flag during World War II from a captured Nazi flag, a blue dress uniform, and salvaged red fabric.

PITTSBURGH — The American flag represents the nation and its people, patriotism, and pride, even during times of war and strife.

The Senator John Heinz History Center has opened “Stars & Stripes: An American Story,” which details the stories of the people behind the more than 200 year history of the nation's most enduring symbol.

The exhibit includes objects, images, and archival materials from the center's collections, as well as items on loan from the Smithsonian Institution, The Warhol Museum, The National Gallery of Art and private collectors.

The exhibit is designed to help unravel the myths and realities surrounding the flag's creation, including the story of Betsy Ross developing the first American flag. In addition to the Ross myth, the exhibit tells the stories of Americans who have influenced the flag's legacy, including:

n Michael Strank, Franklin Borough, Pa., resident and one of the soldiers who hoisted the flag in the iconic image from the Battle of Iwo Jima.

n John MacFarland, a Pittsburgh native who took the Confederate Stars and Bars flag from the New Orleans Customs House during the Civil War in 1862.

n John Michael O'Cilka, an artist from Cambria County whose “Miners with Coal Police” painting portrays a group of striking coal miners holding an American flag and demonstrates the workers' appreciation of the freedoms granted in the U.S.

n Thomas Burnett, a passenger on Flight 93 whose family left five American flags each inscribed with a personal message for him at the Shanksville crash site following the terrorist attacks in 2001.

The exhibition continues through June 17, 2012.

The history center, 1212 Smallman St., is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for senior citizens, $5 for students with ID and children ages 4 to 17, and free for children age 3 and younger. For information, call 412-454-6000.