Which British artist designed the peace symbol in 1958 by combining two semaphore letters inside a circle?

General Knowledge

In the 1958 peace symbol's design, what phrase did the combined semaphore letters N and D represent?

The peace sign (☮) was designed in 1958 by combining the semaphore letters N and D—for 'Nuclear Disarmament'—inside a circle.

General Knowledge

Which common symbol began as a cursive ligature joining the letters of the Latin word 'et'?

The ampersand (&) symbol evolved from the Latin word 'et' written so cursively that the letters fused into one unrecognizable squiggle.

General Knowledge

The dollar sign ($) is widely believed to have evolved from the abbreviation for which country's historical currency?

The dollar sign ($) likely originated from the Spanish peso's abbreviation 'ps' stacked and crossed, not from the U.S. at all.

General Knowledge

According to a popular measurement legend, whose actual body part became England's official standard for the foot in 1120?

The foot measurement originated from King Henry I's actual body part—his foot was declared England's official standard in 1120.

General Knowledge

What was the name of the Soviet spacecraft whose parachute failure caused the first in-flight fatality in human spaceflight history?

Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov died in 1967 when his Soyuz 1 parachute failed—the first human spaceflight fatality.

General Knowledge

Which New York inventor patented the safety pin in 1849?

The safety pin was patented in 1849 by a New York inventor who sold the patent rights for $400 to pay off a debt.