Today marks 66 years since birth of CND 'peace sign'
The symbol was once sought to be banned by the South African government during apartheid.
peace cnd
It's one of the most widely recognised symbols in the world and today (Wednesday) marks the 66th anniversary of the CND symbol.
Known globally as the 'peace sign' it's the brainchild of a British designer, the later Gerald Holtom who came up with the symbol ahead of an anti-nuclear march he was attending as a conscientious objector.
The design combines the semaphore symbols for the letters N and D - an abbreviation of 'Nuclear Disarmament', but Holtom once explained it had a deeper meaning.
"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 around it."
In 1973, the South African government tried to ban its use by opponents of apartheid.
Interestingly, the symbol was never trademarked, and since its inception, it has been used all over the world as a sign of peace.