Today is a noteworthy 50^th birthday.

On April 4, 1958, there was a rally in Britain to protest nuclear proliferation. Lord Bertrand Russel, head of the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, asked graphic designer Gerald Holtom to draw something to symbolize the march. Holtom thought about Goya’s painting of a peasant about to be shot by a firing squad, with his hands thrown up in the air. And then he drew the opposite: a simple stick-figure of a man, with his arms hanging loosely down at his sides, to represent despair. He placed the stick-man within a circle, to symbolize the communal support of the world around him. And – voila – the Peace Sign was born.

The symbol crossed the pond when Bayard Rustin, a friend of Martin Luther King, co-opted it for use in civil rights marches. Not surprisingly, this led to it being widely condemned by right-wing groups, who noted the sign resembles a broken, upside-down cross, and thus is a satanic reference to the crucifixion of St. Peter. Nonetheless, it was further adopted by Vietnam War protesters, who put it on t-shirts, posters, and buttons, leading supporters of the war to refer to it as “the footprint of the American chicken.” As it spread around the world, it became a universal symbol of protest against all forms of injustice, including tribal violence, poverty, apartheid, you name it.

The symbol has deliberately never been copyrighted, so anyone can use it without permission. It been heavily used (and abused) in advertising, pop culture, and fashion. It is perhaps the best-known symbol of the modern age.

The despairing man turns 50 today. Peace, brother.