A number of peace symbols have been used in various cultures and contexts, one of the most ancient being the olive branch. The symbol of the dove and olive branch was used by early Christians and was later adopted as a secular symbol. It was popularized by Pablo Picasso in 1949 and became widely used in the post-war peace movement. In the 20th century the peace sign as it is commonly known today was designed for and adopted by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. The V hand signal and the peace flag became international peace symbols.
Read more about Peace Symbols: The Broken Rifle, The White Poppy, Roerich's Peace Banner, The Peace Sign, The Peace Flag, The V Sign, Paper Cranes, Fire, Shalom/Salaam, Gallery
Famous quotes containing the words peace and/or symbols:
“I sometimes wonder whether, in the still, sleepless hours of the night, the consciences of ... professional gossips do not stalk them. I myself believe in a final reckoning, when we shall be held accountable for our misdeeds. Do they? If so, they have cause to worry over many scoops that brought them a day’s dubious laurels and perhaps destroyed someone’s peace forever.”
—Mary Pickford (1893–1979)
“There are those who would keep us slipping back into the darkness of division, into the snake pit of racial hatred, of racial antagonism and of support for symbols of the struggle to keep African-Americans in bondage.”
—Carol Moseley-Braun (b. 1947)