A number of
peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The
dove and
olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by
Pablo Picasso after World War 2. In the 1950s the "peace sign", as it is known today, was designed as the logo for the British
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and adopted by anti-war and
counterculture activists in the United States and elsewhere. The
V hand signal and the
peace flag also became international peace symbols.