Who decided red means “stop” and green means “go”?
Dear Cecil: Who decided, back in the mists of time, that red was the color for “stop” and green the color for “go”? The commonest form of color blindness makes the colors totally useless. A warning sign that is near-invisible to a significant portion of the population strikes me as a bad idea. — Barbara T., Los Angeles Cecil replies: Well, now’s a fine time to mention it, Barb. Why didn’t you bring this up 80 years ago? The present system of color coding was developed by the railroads around the time of World War I. But its roots go back much further. Tradition among railroaders has it that red was chosen for “stop” in commemoration of a farmer who tried to flag down an early choo-choo with his red shirt. This is cute, but BS. Red, the color of blood, has been a danger signal since time immemorial. It’s said the Roman legions bore the red banner of the war god Mars into battle 2,000 years ago. The other colors have changed over time. When the first primitive railroad signaling devices
