33¢ Peace Symbol
Celebrate the Century – 1960s
Issue Date: September 17, 1999
City: Green Bay, WI
Printed By: Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd
Printing Method: Lithographed, engraved
The peace symbol has become one of the most universally recognized symbols of the 1960s. But few people are aware of the history behind the upside-down letter “Y” with a line down the center inside a circle.
The first known use of the peace symbol was by Bertrand Russell. He was a member of the Direct Action Committee against Nuclear War, which invented the sign for use as the group’s badge at a protest march in Aldermaston, England. It was derived from the naval code of semaphore, which is a visual system for sending information using two flags, one held in each hand. The part of the design that resembles an upside-down letter “Y” is a combination of the flag signals for “N” and “D,” which stand for “nuclear disarmament.”
The original sketches of the peace symbol are at the School of Peace Studies of Bradford University in England. On the original design, the “legs” thicken and spread out as they approach the inside of the circle. The appearance of the symbol has transformed over the years, creating many versions that differ from one another.
In the 1960s, most people who wore the symbol were members of the youth culture against American involvement in the Vietnam War. The symbol was used on jewelry, clothing, banners, and painted on vehicles.