National Ampersand Day is celebrated on September 8 each year to honor ‘&,’ a Latin character and a logogram that depicts the conjunction ‘AND.’ The ampersand has been in use since the first century A.D. Although most people don’t give much thought to this symbol, it has a long and illustrious history. Even if you don’t consider yourself a language nerd, we think it’s the perfect day to celebrate.
The word “SEPTEMBER” and the numeral “8” were selected specifically because, using a certain type style for each ampersand, you can “spell out” the date with ampersands, as shown in this typogram*, wherein each ampersand resembles the character it stands in for.
Who doesn’t love the fun & functional ampersand? From jotting a shorthand “and” to branding corporate names, this curly, quirky little character is ubiquitously useful. It’s also quite aesthetic, as you’ll see at AmperArt.com, featuring “the ampersand as fun & fabulous art.”.
- 63 BC – The ampersand is a character that represents “and,” but did you know that the ampersand character dates back to 63 BC and is a visual ligature of the letters E and T? ET or it is the Latin word for “per se”.
- 79 AD – an early example has been discovered as graffiti on a wall in Pompeii, preserved by the Vesuvius eruption in 79 A.D.
- 5th Century -The actual character &, and its various ligatures throughout history, predate the word ampersand by over 1500 years.
- 775 AD – The “et” ligature became part of the Roman alphabet and was more commonly depicted as a single character
- 1011 – The ampersand first appears as a character at the end of the Latin alphabet, as in Byrhtferð’s letter list.
- 1440 – Johannes Gutenberg included the ampersand on his first printing press.
- 1455 – Printers in Europe make extensive use of both italic and Roman ampersands after the invention of the printing press.
- 1800s – school children reciting their ABCs concluded the alphabet with the “&”. Since it was awkward to say, “X, Y,Z, and,” students said, “and per se and.” Per se means “by itself,” so the students were basically saying, “X, Y,Z, and by itself and.”
- 1837 – the “&” sign had entered common English usage as the 27th character of the alphabet.
- 1899 – The ampersand is described as “a sign interchangeable with the conjunction ‘and’” in the “Concise Manual On Typography.”
- 1999 – Font Aid was established in 1999 to generate cash for disaster relief victims — during a Font Aid event, designers collaborate to produce and sell a glyph with ampersand inclusiveness.
- 2015 – Chaz DeSimone founded World Ampersand Day in 2015. His monthly design project, AmperArt.com, features “the ampersand as fun & fabulous art.”
- Some people credit Marcus Tullius Tiro for creating the ampersand. He was a slave and secretary to a Roman lawyer, writer, and orator named Cicero. Tiro eventually became a freedman. He also receives credit for developing the first Latin shorthand system, which lasted over 1,000 years.
- The ampersand is a ligature of “e” & “t”? That’s “et” in Latin, meaning “and.”
- Roman scribes used the et abbreviation to save as much space as possible.
- The word “ampersand” is a slurring of “real words” run together over time.
- The plus sign is an ampersand.
- It didn’t take long before the “and per se and” officially appeared in English dictionaries as ampersand.
- The Ampersand Is One of the Most Common Special Characters Used in Passwords.
- Many companies and brands use the ampersand in their names. Some of the most popular ones include:
- Barnes & Noble or B&N
- Ben & Jerry’s
- A&E
- AT&T
- H&R Block
- A&W Root Beer
- M&Ms
- Smith & Wesson
- Johnson & Johnso
- While people use the ampersand in place of the word “and” (which is a conjunction), the ampersand is a logogram. A logogram is a character that represents a word or phrase commonly used in shorthand.
Sources:
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
