Use of the @ Symbol
Although the first documented use of @ was in 1536, the @ symbol did not rise from modern obscurity until 1971. (Illustration by Erik Marinovich)
Called the “snail” by Italians and the “monkey tail” by the Dutch, @ is the sine qua non of electronic communication, thanks to e-mail addresses and Twitter handles. @ has even been inducted into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, which cited its modern use as an example of “elegance, economy, intellectual transparency, and a sense of the possible future directions that are embedded in the arts of our...