Daily conversation: What is the worst possible answer?

[PColumbus73]

2025-09-17: Why were Stop and Yield signs changed from yellow and black to red and white?

They changed when Signs, LLC was bought out by the Coca-Cola Company in 1954, with all affiliated signs (Stop, Yield, Wrong Way, Do Not Enter, etc) switching to company colors.

Actually, sign colors were changed as part of a larger marketing and corporate sponsorship with Skittles

[kphoger]

2025-09-17: Why were Stop and Yield signs changed from yellow and black to red and white?

Bribery by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (commonly known as 3M), plain and simple.

[kphoger]

2025-09-17: Why were Stop and Yield signs changed from yellow and black to red and white?

In an era of increasing anti-Communist sentiment, the switch to red was an attempt to subtly cement the message "stop Communism" and "Communists, yield" in the American psyche.

However, they soon realized that a red Yield sign could also be interpreted as "yield to Communism".  This is why, shortly thereafter, there was a widespread decrease in the usage of Yield signs and an increase in the usage of Stop signs—even to the point of removing Yield signs and replacing them with Stop signs.

[Sapphuby]

2025-09-17: Why were Stop and Yield signs changed from yellow and black to red and white?

Santa's helpers kept getting confused at intersections they didn't understand, so elves were hired to reconfigure the MUTCD so that presents could be delivered on time every Christmas, which was known at the time as the Mint New Stops project.

[formulanone]

Why were Stop and Yield signs changed from yellow and black to red and white?

Mary Jane candy allowed their sponsorship of the MUTCD to lapse in 1971, but Starlight Mints took over semi-exclusive rights, and the rest is history.

[Scott5114]

2025-09-17: Why were Stop and Yield signs changed from yellow and black to red and white?

In an era of increasing anti-Communist sentiment, the switch to red was an attempt to subtly cement the message "stop Communism" and "Communists, yield" in the American psyche.

However, they soon realized that a red Yield sign could also be interpreted as "yield to Communism".  This is why, shortly thereafter, there was a widespread decrease in the usage of Yield signs and an increase in the usage of Stop signs—even to the point of removing Yield signs and replacing them with Stop signs.

Fun fact I learned recently—yield signs didn't even appear in the MUTCD until 1961!

[TheCatalyst31]

2025-09-17: Why were Stop and Yield signs changed from yellow and black to red and white?

A fan of the (at the time) awful Pittsburgh Steelers thought the Steelers-colored signs were "stopping" the team from winning, and they petitioned to have the colors changed. Sure enough, the Steelers went on to win four Super Bowls in the 1970s. Petitions by Ravens, Browns, and Bengals fans to change the colors back have been ignored.

[kphoger]

18 SEP 2025

Explain the difference:

[webny99]

18 SEP 2025

Explain the difference:

One was in an accident.

[JayhawkCO]

18 SEP 2025

Explain the difference:

How gymnasts due the splits vs. how I do the splits.

[I-55]

18 SEP 2025

Explain the difference:

Widen car to take up whole road

vs.

Split car to take up whole road

[kphoger]

WARNING:  Look both ways.

WARNING:  Look down at the side of the road.

18 SEP 2025

Explain the difference: