An ampersand (&) is a symbol that represents the conjunction ‘and’. An alteration of ‘and per se and’, this sign is simply the product of combining the letters e and t, Latin (et) for the conjunction. It was first used in Roman cursive writing dating back to the first century A.D.
First historical record
Author Keith Houston in his book Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks claims that this symbol made its first appearance in historical records after being found on an unearthed graffiti from the ruins of Pompeii – a city in ancient Rome which was buried in volcanic ash following the eruption of the Mount Vesuvius in 79 A. D.
Repetitive recitation
In 19th Century Britain, school children reciting the alphabet would include the ampersand as the 27th letter.
At the time, it was customary to recite the Latin phrase ‘per se’ (which means by itself) before any letter that could also be used as a word in itself (like A, I and &). So their daily alphabet rendering would end with: X, Y, Z and per se and. Over time this phrase was slurred to ampersand and it entered the common vocabulary around 1837.
National Ampersand Day
This day was established by American author, designer and typographer Chaz Desimone in 2015, due to his preception of the ampersand sign as an art form. He introduced this day to pay homage to the illustrious history of this symbol, which is also a central motif in his fun art projects and initiatives. Therefore, September 8 is annually celebrated as National Ampersand Day in the U. S.
Picture Credit : Google
