Skull and crossbones

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the 'skull and crossbones' symbol. For other uses, see Skull and crossbones (disambiguation).
☠🕱
Skull and crossbones
In UnicodeU+2620 ☠ SKULL AND CROSSBONES
U+1F571 🕱 BLACK SKULL AND CROSSBONES
Related
See alsoU+2623 ☣ BIOHAZARD SIGN
U+2622 ☢ RADIOACTIVE SIGN
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This article contains uncommon Unicode characters. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of the intended characters.

A skull and crossbones is a

human skull and two long bones crossed together under or behind the skull.[1] The design originated in the Late Middle Ages as a symbol of death and especially as a memento mori
on tombstones.

In modern contexts, it is generally used as a hazard symbol, usually in regard to poisonous substances, such as deadly chemicals.[1]

It is also associated with

software piracy, due to its historical use in some Jolly Roger
flags.

Military use

Main article: Skull and crossbones (military)

The skull and bones are often used in military insignia, such as the

coats of arms of regiments.[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 the

SS. 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]

Symbol for poisonous substances

Further information: Hazard symbol
Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548/EEC)

The skull and crossbones has long been a standard symbol for poison.

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 the Danish "+ + +" and drawings of skeletons.[9]

In the 1870s poison manufacturers around the world began using bright cobalt 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 with

pirates might encourage children to play with toxic materials, the Mr. 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]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Dictionary and Thesaurus". Merriam-webster.com.
  2. ^ "WEARING THE SKULL AND CROSSBONES WITH PRIDE".|website=The British Army}}
  3. ISBN 9781780965512
    .
  4. ^ Colburn's United Service Magazine and Naval and Military Journal, Volumen 32. National Library of the Netherlands. 1867. p. 321.
  5. ISBN 9789082032604
    .
  6. ISBN 978-90-820326-0-4
    .
  7. ISBN 9783412528904
    .
  8. ISBN 9780931292262
    . Retrieved 19 November 2017 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Antique Poison Bottles". Collectors Weekly. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Poison bottle collection". Antiques Roadshow. BBC One. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  11. ^ a b Farmer, Meg (March 2014). "Evolution of the Poison Label: From Skull and Crossbones to Mr. Yuk". SVA.edu. Retrieved 26 February 2022.

External links

Look up skull and crossbones in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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