# Peace Symbol

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-symbol/426112>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 12, 2007, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-symbol/426112 "2007-11-12T08:17:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ken\_Blevins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@Ken\_Blevins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken_Blevins)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-symbol/426112/1 "2007-11-12T08:17:06Z")

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Hello Please understand I am new to this. I am not one for forum type things, but I wanted to say something. I read what someone wrote about the origin of the peace symbol, and then something someone wrote to correct him. As for me, I’ll just say WHATEVER. It has always symbolized PEACE for me, and I’m all for nuclear disarmament, as long as it’s for the whole world–permanentely. So fellas, I don’t care about what anyone says about the symbol’s ancient history or supposed connection to satanism, just what it means to me— 🙂 have a nice day

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-symbol/426112/2 "2007-11-12T15:29:40Z")

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There are many opinions on this question. Some claim it’s the semaphore signals for ND (nuclear disarmament,) in the old Ban The Bomb movement. Then there’s “a B-52 bomber at the bottom of a trash can.” If you look around, you will stumble over some melodrama about it being a broken cross, and therefore a Satanic symbol. It could just as easily be a broken gunsight. I imagine none of this is very helpful to you.

We have a member or two who specialize in finding the “earliest published use” of just about anything. That’s more useful than my drabble. :smack:

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**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-symbol/426112/3 "2007-11-12T15:49:55Z")

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I’ve always heard it was from the UK: [Origin of the CND symbol](http://www.cnduk.org/pages/ed/cnd_sym.html). According to that, Gerald Holton, the designer, said:

> [@](#):
>
> ‘I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya’s peasant before the firing squad. I formalised the drawing into a line and put a circle round it.’