What is the origin of this # mysterious symbol? It’s gone by many names, (the pound sign, the number sign, the octothorpe and the hashtag symbol) and it’s had many meanings, but what is the ...

John Pound lives in Eureka, California. He’s either 62 or 63—he can’t remember at the moment—and he’s been a cartoonist his whole life. The first half of his career was traditional ...

The # sign has become something of a cultural phenomenon. The origin of the first # (pound) sign isn't entirely clear, but linguists think it came about because it was easier to write than L-B.