Peace symbol

At the end of a year and the start of a new year, we often hear the phrase "Peace on Earth."  Though it started as a symbol of nuclear disarmament, the peace sign that most people know from the 1950s has grown to apply to (and be applied to) all kinds of things.

A number of peace symbols have actually been used in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians. It was used as a secular peace symbol and popularized by a dove lithograph by Pablo Picasso after World War II.

In the 1950s the "peace sign", as it is known today, was designed by Gerald Holtom as the logo for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). That was a group at the forefront of the peace movement in the UK. It was later adopted by anti-war and counterculture activists in the US and elsewhere. 

The symbol was made by superimposing the semaphore signals for the letters "N" and "D" (for Nuclear Disarmament).

1960s button for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament CC0, Link

The V hand sign 

The V hand sign most commonly used to mean "peace" began as a "V for Victory" and was popularized during World War II by Winston Churchill and is displayed with the back of the hand toward the signer.

During the Vietnam War, in the 1960s, Americans began to use the "V sign" with the palm of the hand facing outward as a symbol of peace. The V hand signal and the peace flag also became international peace symbols.

The V (victory) hand sign when displayed with the palm inward toward the signer (shown on the right above) can be an offensive gesture in some countries and dates back to at least 1900.

Listen to a podcast  Who Created the Peace Sign (and Why)?