| ☠🕱 | |
|---|---|
Skull and crossbones | |
| In Unicode | U+2620 ☠SKULL AND CROSSBONES U+1F571 🕱BLACK SKULL AND CROSSBONES |
| Related | |
| See also | U+2623 ☣BIOHAZARD SIGN U+2622 ☢RADIOACTIVE SIGN |
Askull and crossbones is asymbol consisting of ahuman skull and twolong bones crossed together under or behind the skull.[1] The design originated in theLate Middle Ages as a symbol ofdeath and especially as amemento mori on tombstones. Actual skulls and bones were long used to mark the entrances toSpanish cemeteries (campo santo).
In modern contexts, it is generally used as ahazard symbol, usually in regard topoisonous substances, such as deadly chemicals.[1]
It is also associated withpiracy andsoftware piracy, due to its historical use in someJolly Roger flags.
The skull and bones are often used in military insignia, such as thecoats of arms ofregiments.[2][3][4][5][6]
Since the mid-18th century, skull and crossbones insignia has been officially used in European armies as symbols of superiority. One of the first regiments was theFrederick the Great's Hussars in 1741, also known as the "Totenkopfhusaren". From this tradition, the skull became an important emblem in the German army. Identical insignia has been used in the Prussian army after the First World War byFreikorps and in Nazi Germany by theWehrmacht and theSS. The idea of elitism symbolized by the skull and crossbones has influenced sub- and pop culture and has become part of the fashion industry.[7]
The skull and crossbones has long been a standard symbol forpoison.
In 1829,New York State required the labeling of all containers of poisonous substances.[8] The skull and crossbones symbol appears to have been used for that purpose since the 1850s. Previously a variety of motifs had been used, including theDanish "+ + +" and drawings ofskeletons.[9]
In the 1870s poison manufacturers around the world began using brightcobalt bottles with a variety of raised bumps and designs (to enable easy recognition in the dark) to indicate poison,[10] but by the 1880s the skull and cross bones had become ubiquitous, and the brightly coloured bottles lost their association.[11]
In the United States, due to concerns that the skull-and-crossbones symbol's association withpirates might encourage children to play with toxic materials, theMr. Yuk symbol was created to denote poison. However, in 2001, the American Association of Poison Control Center voted to continue to require the skull and crossbones symbol.[11]
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![In 1901, Mark Twain wrote a satirical essay titled To the Person Sitting in Darkness, in which he expressed strong anti-imperialist views against certain ongoing conflicts such as the Philippine-American War. At one point, Twain sarcastically described what the flag of an American-controlled Philippines should look like; "And as for a flag for the Philippine Province, it is easily managed. We can have a special one—our States do it: we can have just our usual flag, with the white stripes painted black and the stars replaced by the skull and cross-bones."[12]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMark_Twain%2527s_American_Philippines_Flag_Proposal.jpg)
Media related toSkull and crossbones at Wikimedia Commons
