The first to display the peace symbol was philosopher and pacifist Bertrand Russel. His group, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), used it during a 1958 protest march in Aldermaston, England. Activist Gerald Holtom, who designed the symbol, based it on the semaphore alphabet. This system uses two flags to represent letters. The peace sign is the flag signals for N and D (for Nuclear Disarmament) superimposed upon each other. It has since become the international symbol for peace.
www.peacebuttons.info