The design for the familiar crow's-foot-in-a-circle we know as the peace symbol was completed February 21, 1958, by British commercial artist Gerald Holtom. Although the basic form had roots in antiquity, it was brought to western civilization during the 1930s, by the English Nobel Prize Winner, philosopher, and socialist Bertrand Russell as an attempt “to depict the universal convergence of peoples in an upward movement of cooperation.” However, it wasn't until the late 1950s when Russell was the chairman for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and present at numerous disarmament demonstrations and protests against English involvement in NATO, that the symbol was adopted as the CND emblem.

The symbol's first public appearance that established it as the emblem of peace occurred when t he CND was planning an Easter march to Canterbury Cathedral to protest the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston.

It is therefore probable that Russell introduced the basic sign to the organization from which Holton created his final design. After doodling around with several versions of the Christian cross set in a circle, Holtom hit on the crow's-foot idea. As Holtom explained, it was a combination of the semaphore signals for N and D, standing for Nuclear Disarmament. N is two flags held in an upside-down V, and D is one flag pointed straight up and the other pointed straight down. The circle stands for unity, eternity, and wholeness.

The Peace Symbol debuted in the United States in 1961 on protest signs in the cautionary science-fiction film about the tragic ill-effects of nuclear testing, The Day The Earth Caught Fire. Soon it was universally adopted for use as a peace insignia.

The mission of The Peace Center is to promote peaceful living through our products and services. We think it is important that people wear peace symbols and therefore we sell many items with this symbol in our gift shop. Stop by, take a look and walk out being the messenger of peace.

Margo Ruark
June 21, 2009

 ↑ Back to Top