Skip to main content

What is the origin of the peace symbol of 1958?

The symbols, enclose in their mysterious and iconic forms, great stories and deep feelings to discover.They talk about human movements, exaltations, struggles and beliefs.Without doubt, one of the most Tradition is this classic circle with a kind of inverted blade inside.Just seeing it makes us think of the 60s and hippies, we remember John Lennon and his «Imagine».We associate it with old shirts that went to a hundred demonstrations, which ran in front of the occasional police trying to disperse those protests for nuclear weapons, for wars always incomprehensible, but always present.

Surely you even have this symbol on some object, or on a piece of clothes, but have you ever wondered about their origin? Today in Lifestyle we want to remember it, because surely there is some nuance in the story that you find interesting.

The symbol of nuclear disarmament

Symbols of peace .Just saying this word is most likely to immediately come to mind the classic dove of peace with an olive twig in its beak.This image had its representation after the two world wars , after those two devastating moments for humanity where this symbol, has its origin in the Old Testament, when Noe releases a white dove in order to find land after firm after the flood.After a while, the animal returns with a Olive branch, a sign that the disaster was over and that God was again at peace with humanity.

At the end of the 50s, when the world had already recovered more or less of those two disasters, human irrationality was rising again in the form of world superpowers with yearnings of power. Confrontations in which they were forced to develop destructive weapons with which to give an image of strength and supremacy.And what better than nuclear weapons.The world therefore needed a new symbol of peace , a graphic gesture with which to exclaim the conscience and the shout of millions of people who only asked for the balance and tranquility of a life away from nuclear bombs.

What is the origin of the peace symbol of 1958?

It was therefore requested , a symbol that represents disarmament.And who was in charge of designing it? A British artist: Gerald Holtom, former student of the Royal College of Arts, who in 1958 presented to the world a very simple drawing with which to identify the movement CND (Campaign forn Nuclear Disarmament). To create it, it was based on an idea I had in mind, it should be a very simple icon.Very elementary and at the same time illustrative.I use the initials N and D of "Nuclear Disarmament" based on the language of flags created by the military.In turn, the positions of these flags also represented a man about to be executed with raised hands, as if crying for mercy.In fact, Holtom, I think in that peasant who appears in the picture of the "May 3 Fusilations" of Goya in front of a battalion.

A symbol that went around the world

It may seem curious, but for many, this symbol was not new. John Dalton, for example, a 19th-century British chemist and physicist already used it to represent phosphorus.And even more, there is who associates a somewhat sinister reverse to the peace symbol of Gerald Holton. And how can it be? you may ask.Indeed, it was in Neron times when in his madness and persecution, I use a "something similar" symbol to attack Christianity: an inverted cross. Conspiracy images that deviate us a bit from that original image and from such noble purposes.

What is the origin of the peace symbol of 1958?

The Gerald Holton symbol soon became an icon.It is said that popularization in the United States was He owed the famous activist Albert Bigelow, who painted him on his ship to raise a harsh protest against nuclear weapons.There is also talk of Bayard Rustin , friend of Martin Luther King, who also used it to defend the civil rights of blacks.Flags, badges, painted on walls and subway stations, key rings, rings, pendants, badges on university campuses...his progress was unstoppable, rising like a shout proclaiming peace, a peace in that context of the Cold War and wars like Vietnam, which served as an icon for all those young people and not so young they called hippies.

A symbol that does not claim copyright and that we can all do ours to ask for something as universal as the right to live in peace. The right to coexist in harmony, union and tranquility.

If you liked this article, don't miss the story about the origin of the gay flag either.

Image: Donna Cleveland, Matteo Piotto, zmfg!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nepal's terrible earthquake

For all those who still do not know him or perhaps have heard him but are not sure what has happened, the last April 25 (2015) a seism of Nepal took place in Nepal magnitude 7.8 or 8.1 M that the country devastated and by which numerous international aids are currently being dispersed in order to accelerate the recovery of the innumerable losses that have occurred and to help all the people that right now they have been left homeless, without work, without family and without food. A major disaster The Nepal earthquake had its focus at 15 kilometers deep and its epicenter was 81 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu.So far, the number of victims that has been registered is above 7,000 and the losses of cultural, material and Other types are incalculable.All this has resulted in a serious humanitarian crisis that results in 9.5 millions of people in need of assistance , or what is the same, a quarter of the population of Nepal. The terrible earthquake that was calculated a 7...

Be amazed with these PROHIBITED books!

It could be considered that the book industry began with the modern invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in approximately 1440, and with the impression of the Bible ten years later; and curiously and ironically little more than a century later, in 1564, the Index Librorum Prohibitorum , the Index of Forbidden Books , by order of Pope Pius IV.Since then, and to this day, numerous books have been persecuted for religious, political and "public moral" reasons from varying and opposing points of view according to the time and region of the world.Here are some contemporary examples. Be amazed by these PROHIBITED books! Insisting on the ironic aspect of censorship, one of the books that passed several decades forbidden in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR, partially current Russia) it was precisely the Biblia , banned for thirty years, from 1926 to 1956, that is, throughout the period of government of Stalin and a little more. In the S...

Do you know why the Sugus de pina is blue?

Sugus is one of the most popular brands of chewy candies .Who hasn't eaten a Sugus candy in childhood? They are so well known that the brand has become a common name and with it all soft and square candies on the market are normally designated.The wrapper identifies the flavor of caramel , yellow-lemon, red-strawberry …, But do you know why Pina Sugus is blue? Do you know why Pina Sugus is blue? Many people have asked themselves this question; the blue does not correspond to any flavor nor is it related to the pineapple .Years ago the hoax spread over the Internet that this color in the wrap of the Sugus de pina corresponded to that of the flag of Barbados , which is blue, since that country was the main importer of pines to make candies.This is totally false . According to the portal Verne of the newspaper El Pais , which contacted the current Wrigley company manufacturer of Sugus, the story is different.When they bought the brand from Suchard the packaging was a...

5 myths about your hair unveiled

In Lifestyle we tell you once 9 tricks of the supermarkets so that we buy a little more, this time we present some myths related to our hair that, sometimes, do not end up being totally true.We want to add, of course, that no one better than a good professional hairdresser can cut your hair. 5 things that do not tell you about your hair 1.Starting a cane does not Let two more come out Why is there a conviction that if we start a cane instead a pair will appear more ? Who was the one who decided? Whoever it was has transmitted this idea through time to the present day.Does it have a scientific basis? Apparently not. What if it will happen if you tear off a cane is that the hair will grow back and while this short will be stiff and will look more. 2.Not for cutting more it grows more hair For some reason the idea that if we cut our hair will often grow more, it has come true, but it is not . Although it is true that when we cut the hair we make it look more h...

Friendships at 20 and 30. So they change. You have noticed?

Surely the number of friendships at 20, when you were in college, it was quite a large number and surely also, if you are now touching 30, that number may have been drastically reduced.If so, you should not worry, on the contrary, it can be a good sign.The Sucurcurioso team has realized this data and in the following article we will give you some information about it. In a study published by the magazine Psychology and Aging in 2015 that the important thing regarding friendships is the quantity and quality although these qualities do not have to occur at the same time. The researchers who carried out The study concluded that having a large number of friendships at 20 and, in turn, having a small but better quality group at 30 are predictive signs of well-being in the future. So yes you remember your 20th birthday surrounded by hundreds of people at a monumental party, while When you think of your 30 birthday, you remember a quiet meal with a couple of good friends, we must tel...

What happened to the so-called Manson family?

In the desert of California in the late 60s, a cult of evil led by Charles Manson, was preparing to carry out one of the bloodiest killings of the twentieth century . Drugs and the manipulative power of the founder of the Manson family motivated the young members to kill 7 people, with the intention of unleashing a racial war called by its founder as Helter Skelter. What happened to the members of this sect? This is how their lives went after perpetual barbarism. The Manson family today Susan Atkins This was one of the most faithful followers of Charles Manson , willing to do anything to get the approval of his leader, even giving his life for his 'messiah' if necessary. Susan Atkins, troublemaker and LSD addict, became a member of the Manson family at age 19.I actively participate in the homicides of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca .I also confess to having slashed actress Sharon Tate by stabbing for being "tired of hearing her begging and pleading" so she ...

Jigai, the Japanese female suicide ritual

At Lifestyle we already talked to you at the time of seppuku, the ritual suicide practiced by both samurai and daimyo or former Japanese feudal lords .At a time and in a culture where he was offered more value to the honor that to the own life, the suicide was an act of valia and honesty, in case one committed an improper act or fell defeated in the battlefield. It is a subject that seen from the cultural and anthropological point of view always fascinates us.Now, something that is not so well known and that has always been a little behind the curtain of the male practice of harakiri, is that women were also forced to put an end to his life if his husbands fell. And not only the husband, the mothers also started their own ritual suicide if they had a samurai son who fell in dishonor and committed seppuku. This guy of Japanese female suicide has a name: Jigai.We'll talk about it in our space. Jigai, the Japanese female suicide ritual If you are interested in the subject ...

Beards with more germs than a toilet!

In Lifestyle we investigated if men with beards were more attractive than without and we looked for 5 reasons to wear beard .It seems that everything can be advantages when it comes to a leafy facial hair: it is not necessary to shave practically, many people consider them attractive, they can even add a touch of maturity, if we have somewhat childish features but, what about hygiene? Beards and bacteria, lots of bacteria! The beards are trendy .It's hard to walk around a city without crossing a guy wearing a long and well-groomed beard.However, that it is fixed does not mean that it is necessarily clean.Some have discovered a group of researchers in a laboratory of New Mexico , whose head is J.Golobic : in some beards we can find as many germs as in a toilet ! Argh! After cleaning several beards and taking samples, many bacteria were found, most of them normal, except in some cases in which they found, attention, fecal particles ! J.Golobic I assure you...

12 keys to forget someone special and move on

Hello Lifestyle ! Before reading the article we would like you to know a new way to discover our curious world, through Youtube ! We have a channel that we would love to be part of.You can subscribe and meet him here-> YouTube Lifestyle! Find love and lose it...the simple phrase carries an emotional burden too heavy and painful.Because Pablo Neruda said it well: Love is so short , and forgetting is so .And partly because, the process of Forgetting someone special and moving on becomes complex because we refuse to undo the mind of what keeps us clinging to the past. But we have hopeful news! If you do not stop thinking about the person in question, preventing you from taking steps forward, these 12 keys inspired by the book The Last Best Cure , by Donna Jackson Nakazawa, will be very useful to see the distress with other eyes, and with this, heal the heart. 12 keys to forget someone special and move on 1.Obsessing to find guilty drives you away from healing As part...

Keys to overcome the fear of dogs

In Lifestyle we have already told you about cynophobia, as the irrational fear of dogs is known elegantly and therapeutically , a more widespread evil than it seems, linked to one of the most common pets and that for a longer time has accompanied the human being.Now we will talk about the therapies and methods that have been developed to cure you of this phobia. Keys to overcome the fear of dogs There are various therapies to overcome the fear of dogs, ranging from psychoanalysis sessions to the use of drugs to control the physical and psychological symptoms of the panic attack . In this article we will propose some keys linked to two of phobia healing techniques that have shown great efficacy when it comes to animals, known as exposure therapy and cognitive therapy . The systemic exposure or desensitization therapy consists of a gradual exposure to the object of the phobia ; In the case of dogs, the cytophobic can begin with brief encounters with a pet, without initial...