National Ampersand Day is annually celebrated on September 8 worldwide to honor ‘&,’ a Latin character and a logogram that depicts the conjunction ‘AND.'
Today ampersand is one of the most used symbols in English and it has been in use since the 1st Century A.D. And that's the thing that most of people doesn't know about it that it is not modern discovery infact this symbol has a long illustrious history.
Ampersand means this '&' is very much prevalent today especially because it is very helpful in saving our time and without it, it would have been very hard for us and hence people also should recognize the importance of it.
| Event | National Ampersand Day |
|---|---|
| Date | September 8, 2022 |
| Day | Thursday |
| Significance | The day celebrates '&,' a Latin character and logogram that represents the conjunction 'AND.' |
| Observed by | United States |
National Ampersand Day History:
It is very difficult to point out that when this symbol was initially written down, although an early example has been discovered as graffiti on a wall in Pompeii, preserved by the Vesuvius eruption in 79 A.D. which represents symbol similar to ampersand.
However the origins of ampersand can be traced back upto 63 B.C. when Marcus Tullius Tiro adds the words “and, per se, and” at the end of his alphabet recitation, as well as a shorthand symbol to represent it. But it was in 1011 when the ampersand first appeared as a character at the end of the Latin alphabet.
Then in 1455 Printers in Europe make extensive use of both italic and Roman ampersands after the invention of the printing press and by which this symbol became widely used all over the world. But it was in 1899 when this replace was officially adopted to be used in a place of 'AND'.
In 2015, Chaz DeSimone, an author, designer, and typographer, established National Ampersand Day. As he considered the ampersand to be an art form. He established this day to celebrate the ampersand sign, which he uses as a fun art project through this initiative.
National Ampersand Day Significance:
The ampersand comes from the Latin word ‘et,’ which means ‘and.’ The letters ‘E’ and ‘T’ in this word were occasionally put together to form a ligature (a character consisting of two or more joined letters).
This all means that the name ampersand is a perversion of ‘and (&) per se and,’ which literally means ‘and (i.e. ‘&’) by itself creates the word and.’ The symbol ‘&’ is formed from the ligature of the Latin word for ‘and,’ ‘ET’ or ‘et.’
And because of this now the writer is able to save his time by writing the word in this manner, and it has given us a lot of convenience as time is very valuable in today's fast moving world. We ourselves uses this ampersand symbol so many times today from social media to everything.
That's why this day is celebrated as ampersand is so crucial for our daily lives now but still it is hardly recognized by the people. So the people must discuss about it and also should raise awareness regarding its discovery and importance is the main purpose of this day.
National Ampersand Day Facts:
Now let's learn some very mind-boggling facts about our lovely symbol 'ampersand':
- A few credit Marcus Tullius Tiro, a slave and assistant to Cicero, a Roman lawyer, author, and orator, on developing the ampersand.
- The letter ‘Z’ was not always the final letter in the English alphabet but, instead, it was the ampersand. It is unclear when it was removed from the alphabet.
- The ampersand is really a common symbol for password. As it was ranked ninth place in terms of the most often used special character in a password.
- While the ampersand is commonly used in place of the word ‘and’ (which is a conjunction), it is actually a logogram.
Most Searched FAQs on National Ampersand Day:
1. When is National Ampersand Day is celebrated?
National Ampersand Day is celebrated annually on 8th September.
2. Does an ampersand count as a word?
Of course, an ampersand is a word (look at it in all its wordy grandeur), but ‘&’ is a symbol.
3. Who created National Ampersand Day?
National Ampersand Day was created by Chaz DeSimone an author in 2015.