happybirthdaypeace.com

in 1958, a man named gerald holtom designed the bisected circle we've come to know as the peace symbol:

"'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 round it.'

Ironically the symbol itself is a mix of the military semaphore signals N — representing nuclear — and D — representing disarmament (semaphore alphabet). However, Holtom, a conscientious objector during the Second World War, subverted this use of semaphores by placing the D over the N, the “upside down logo” signifying his anti-military principles."

this year, the peace symbol turns fifty and there's a website where you can submit your own peace-inspired art to stand beside similar works by kate hudson and noam chomsky (mine is pictured on the left). there seems to be some sort of selection process though, because i couldn't find my upload in the main gallery.

edit-- ok it's up there now.