band performance. Before the first Europeans
set foot on the islands in the 18th century, Samoa did not use any flags. They first utilized flags during the 1800s, although it is unclear which ones were flown due to partial documentation. The islands were contested by
Germany, the
United Kingdom and the
United States at the turn of the century; the three countries resolved the dispute by dividing Samoa amongst themselves during the
Tripartite Convention in 1899. As a result of an agreement with the high chiefs of the island of
Tutuila, the United States took control over easternmost Samoa on April 17, 1900, and raised
their flag that same day. It went on to be the only official flag of American Samoa until 1960. In the mid-20th century, Samoans began to take a more active role in the local government. Consequently, deliberations began over a new territorial flag and the Samoans were invited to propose ideas. Local government leaders and the
U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry then designed the flag while incorporating these ideas into it. The flag was officially adopted April 17, 1960, sixty years to the day the U.S. first raised the
American flag over Samoa. The flag was raised for the first time on
Flag Day, April 17, 1960. In the previous year, the flag's design had won the flag design competition at
Samoana High School, designed by high school student Fareti Sotoa. A draft was sent to the U.S. Army's
Institute of Heraldry. A copy of the flag, which was brought to the moon by astronauts on four Apollo missions from 1969 to 1971, is on display at the
Jean P. Haydon Museum in
Pago Pago. American Samoa holds a
Flag Day celebration on
April 17 each year. ==Design==