One of the most well-known symbols in the world is our peace symbol and there has been much debate about its origins. Some Christians have claimed that it is the symbol of the anti-Christ - its source dating to the Roman Emperor Nero (54-68 A.D.) where it was called "Nero's Cross." St. Peter was sentenced to death by Nero and it is recorded that he did not feel worthy to be killed in the same manner as Jesus, so he chose to be crucified upside down on an inverted cross with its arms broken and stretched at 45 degree (instead of 90 degree) angles. This is illustrated very clearly in a 5th century artist's depiction (fig. 1). It was also used throughout the dark ages in satanic rituals representing the "witches foot" or "ravens foot" when practitioners of black magic would reject the Holy Trinity and denounce Jesus Christ.

The modern-day version of the peace symbol was sketched by commercial artist Gerald Herbert Holtom on February 21, 1958 at the request of the philosopher Lord Bertrand Russel, head of the British CND or Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. The symbol was designed to be a merger of the semaphore flag symbols representing the letters N and D for Nuclear Disarmament. The letter N is represented by two flags held in an upside-down V position and the letter D is one flag pointed straight up and the other pointed straight down--resembling an I. Combine the upside down V with the I and you get the CND symbol, our modern-day peace symbol.

However, it is interesting to note that in a letter to Hugh Brock, editor of Peace News, Holtom explained the origins of his sketch in detail: "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 formalized the drawing into a line and put a circle round it."

According to Ken Kolsbun, American pacifist and a correspondent of Holtom until his death in 1985, the designer eventually came to regret the symbol of despair and wanted it to be inverted upwards: "He thought peace was something that should be celebrated," says Mr Kolsbun, who has spent decades documenting the use of the sign. "In fact, the semaphore sign for U in 'unilateral' depicts flags pointing upwards. Mr. Holtom was all for unilateral disarmament." Furthermore, Holtom only used the upright peace symbol for the remainder of his life and his only dying wish was that instead of the downward peace symbol, the upright peace symbol should be engraved on his tombstone but "that wish was ignored by the letter-cutter."