The peace sign is one of the most globally recognized symbols around today, but it’s only a few decades old. And it wasn’t the hippies who created it, it was a group of Brits dedicated to nuclear disarmament in the 50s.
In this Short Stuff episode, Josh and Chuck dive into the surprisingly recent history of the peace sign, exploring how a British artist named Gerald Holtham created it in the 1950s for a nuclear disarmament march and deliberately chose not to copyright it so the symbol could spread freely. The guys uncover the clever design secrets behind the icon, including its connection to semaphore flag communication spelling out N and D for nuclear disarmament, and trace how it evolved from a specific anti-nuclear message into a universal symbol of peace adopted by the hippie movement and countless social causes. They also clear up some confusion about the Mercedes-Benz logo and why Holtham's final wish for his headstone went unfulfilled.
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