Skull And Crossbones

A skull and crossbones is a symbol consisting of a human skull and two long bones crossed together under or behind the skull. The design originated in the Late Middle Ages as a symbol of death and especially as a ''memento mori'' on tombstones. Actual skulls and bones were long used to mark the entrances to Spanish cemeteries (campo santo).

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

It is also associated with piracy and software piracy, due to its historical use in some Jolly Roger flags.

Military use

The skull and bones are often used in military insignia, such as the coats of arms of regiments.

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 Frederick the Great's Hussars in 1741, also known as the "". 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 by and in Nazi Germany by the Wehrmacht and 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.

Symbol for poisonous substances

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. 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.

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, but by the 1880s the skull and cross bones had become ubiquitous, and the brightly coloured bottles lost their association.

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.

Gallery

Skeletal Arrangements, Sedlec Ossuary (6282842433).jpg, A skull and crossbone arrangement in the Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Republic.
Coat of Arms of the 8th Light Armoured Cavalry Regiment Lusitania.svg, Skull and crossbones as a charge in heraldry on the coat of the 8th Lusitania Cavalry Regiment
1607-35 Pesttafel Augsburg anagoria.JPG, An early 17th-century "plague panel" from Augsburg
Danger High Voltage - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.jpg, High voltage sign from Saudi Arabia
BEST DANGER 415 Volts Mumbai.jpg, Skull and crossbones on a sign warning of high voltage in Mumbai, India
Warning sign! (9156768909).jpg, Skull and crossbones sign mounted on a power box in Poland
Jolly-roger.svg, A typical Jolly Roger ensign as used by Edward England, John Taylor and Samuel Bellamy for example
Mark Twain's proposed flag for the American-controlled Philippines (1901).svg, 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.''"

See also

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References

External links

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{{Pirates

Cross symbols
Warning systems
Heraldic charges
Personifications of death
Pictograms
Visual motifs
Skulls in art
Memento mori