As it turns out, the circular peace sign, one of the most recognizable images of the 20th century, was an intentional design attempting to feature the letters N and D– Nuclear Disarmament.
Wikipedia states: “This forked symbol was designed for the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War (DAC) and was adopted as its badge by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
(CND) in Britain, and originally was used by the British nuclear
disarmament movement. It was later generalised to become an
international icon for the 1960s anti-war movement, and was also adopted by the counterculture of the time. It was designed and completed February 21, 1958 by Gerald Holtom, a professional designer and artist in Britain for the Easter march planned by DAC from Trafalgar Square, London, to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston in England.
The symbol itself is a combination of the semaphoric signals for the letters “N” and “D,” standing for Nuclear Disarmament.
In semaphore the letter “N” is formed by a person holding two flags in
an upside-down “V,” and the letter “D” is formed by holding one flag
pointed straight up and the other pointed straight down. These two
signals imposed over each other form the shape of the peace symbol. In
the original design the lines widened at the edge of the circle.”
So, we might be a little late celebrating its silver anniversary (It was on February 21st), but it’s never too late for peace, right?
