1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:10,959 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: show that decodes history one day at a time. I'm 4 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: Gabe Lousier and in this episode, we're talking about how 5 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: a British symbol for nuclear disarmament became the international shorthand 6 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: for peace itself. The day was April fourth, nineteen fifty eight. 7 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: The world famous peace symbol was displayed for the first 8 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: time at an anti nuclear war rally in London. On 9 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: that Good Friday, Thousands of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square 10 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: in response to a recent series of nuclear weapons tests 11 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: conducted by the UK. The rally was organized by the 12 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: Direct Action Committee, or the DAC, and its main event 13 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,680 Speaker 1: was a long distance march that was set to last 14 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: the whole holiday weekend. The plan was to set out 15 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: from London and march fifty miles west to the small 16 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: village of Aldermoston, where British nuclear weapons were being built 17 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:23,399 Speaker 1: in stockpiled along the way. Most of the protesters carried 18 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: signs and banners adorned with a new symbol that had 19 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: been designed specifically for the march, consisting of just three 20 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,319 Speaker 1: lines inside a circle. The simple design would go on 21 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: to become one of the most widely recognized symbols in 22 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: human history. The peace symbol, as it would come to 23 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 1: be known, was designed by British artist Gerald Holtham, a 24 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: member of the DAC in early nineteen fifty eight, he 25 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: was tasked with making the banners and signs for the 26 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: group's first major march in April. Haltham didn't want his 27 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: signs to rely on the standard slogans of the era. Instead, 28 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: he wanted to create a striking new visual for the event, 29 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: something that would strengthen their message and stick in the 30 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 1: minds of those who saw it. As a Christian pacifist, 31 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: Haltam initially planned to use a cross enclosed within a circle. However, 32 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: the idea of putting the symbol on banners reminded him 33 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: too much of the Crusades, so he ultimately settled on 34 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:23,519 Speaker 1: something a bit more abstract. Holtham's final design, which is 35 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: sometimes described as a crow's foot, was partly inspired by 36 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 1: semaphore flag signals, a visual language used by sailors to 37 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: communicate from a distance. In the semaphore alphabet, the letter 38 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: N is expressed by two flags angled downward at forty 39 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,959 Speaker 1: five degrees, while the letter D is represented by one 40 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:47,639 Speaker 1: flag pointed up and the other straight down. Haltam overlaid 41 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: those two shapes in his design, with the letters N 42 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: and D standing for nuclear disarmament. That said, Haltam also 43 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: had something more personal in mind when he drew those 44 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: angled line. In a letter to Hugh Brock, editor of 45 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: the British magazine Piece News, the artist explained the symbol 46 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:10,799 Speaker 1: in more detail, saying quote, I was in despair, deep despair. 47 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: I drew myself the representative of an individual in despair, 48 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 1: with hand palms outstretched outwards and downwards, in the manner 49 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: of Goya's peasant. Before the firing squad, I formalized the 50 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: drawing into a line and put a circle around it. 51 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: In the weeks leading up to the march, the Direct 52 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:34,639 Speaker 1: Action Committee produced five hundred cardboard lollipop signs featuring Holtham's 53 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: symbol to align with the Easter weekend. The signs were 54 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: printed in the same liturgical colors used by the church. 55 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: Half of the signs were printed black on white to 56 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: represent winter and death, and were carried by protesters on 57 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: Good Friday and Saturday. Then for Easter Sunday and Monday, 58 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: they switched to white on green signs to represent spring 59 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: and life. The signs with Holtham's symbol left a strong 60 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: impression on those in attendance, and as the anti nuclear 61 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: movement grew, the symbol went along for the ride. The 62 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: DAC was just one of several smaller groups that came 63 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: together to form the CND, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. 64 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: Not long after the London March, the CND adopted the 65 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: symbol as its logo and began using it at other events. 66 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: For example, one CND member named Eric Austin started making 67 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: small ceramic badges with the symbol painted on them in black. 68 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: They were handed out at rallies along with a note 69 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: explaining that in the event of a nuclear war, the 70 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:39,360 Speaker 1: clay badges would survive the blast, while the humans wearing 71 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: them would not. Over the next few years, the peace 72 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,839 Speaker 1: symbol changed subtly the more it was used. The earliest 73 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:50,159 Speaker 1: designs looked a bit more like the individual in despair 74 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: that Holton mentioned, with the lines widening as they met 75 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 1: the circle to suggest a head, feet, and hands. However, 76 00:04:57,160 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: by the early nineteen sixties the symbol had become were formalized, 77 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: the idea of a human figure was dropped, and the 78 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: lines were drawn with uniform thickness from then on. Around 79 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: that same time, the symbol made its way to the US, 80 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: likely with the help of Bayard Roosten, an ally of 81 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: Martin Luther King Junior, who had participated in the London 82 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: March in nineteen fifty eight. Although the symbol had been 83 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 1: associated with nuclear disarmament in the UK, it took on 84 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 1: a broader meaning in the US. It was quickly adopted 85 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: by American civil rights movements, student peace unions, and anti 86 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: Vietnam War protesters. Once embraced by all corners of the counterculture, 87 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: it became a sign of solidarity between the various causes, 88 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: as well as a symbol of peace in general. It 89 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:47,360 Speaker 1: also started appearing on all the cliche places you'd expect, 90 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: including Volkswagen buses, pendant necklaces, and tied eye t shirts. 91 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: The peace symbol continued to grow in popularity throughout the 92 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: nineteen seventies, but not everyone was a fan of it. 93 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: Among its most vocal detractors was the John Birch Society, 94 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: a right wing political advocacy group that claimed the symbol 95 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 1: had satanic connotations and was secretly meant to represent an 96 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: upside down broken cross. Other fundamentalist groups claimed it was 97 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,760 Speaker 1: a medieval occult symbol, while others insisted it was a 98 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:21,760 Speaker 1: communist sign or maybe a new version of a Nazi 99 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:25,039 Speaker 1: badge used during World War Two. Of course, all of 100 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 1: those claims can be easily debunked today, as the origins 101 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: and ideas behind the symbol have all been documented by 102 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:36,600 Speaker 1: its creator, who you'll recall was a Christian himself. Despite 103 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: the politically motivated conspiracy theories leveled against it, the peace 104 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: symbol still holds a prominent place in social movements around 105 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: the world. In recent years, it's appeared as a symbol 106 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: of hope at everything from refugee camps to gay rights 107 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: marches to environmental protests. Part of the reason for its 108 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: widespread usage is that Gerald Haltham in the CND never 109 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: sought to write it. To this day, no one has 110 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:05,720 Speaker 1: to pay or seek permission to use the piece symbol, 111 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: As the CND website puts it, a symbol of freedom. 112 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: It is free for all. I'm Gabe Louisier, and hopefully 113 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,560 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 114 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you'd like to keep up with 115 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 1: the show, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and 116 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: Instagram at TDI HC Show. You can also rate and 117 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: review the show on Apple Podcasts, or you can get 118 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: in touch directly by writing to This Day at iHeartMedia 119 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays and Ben Hackett for 120 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: producing the show, and thanks to you for listening. I'll 121 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: see you back here again tomorrow for another day in 122 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: history class.