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[thenetwork]

When I was a young whippersnapper (and an early sign lover) in the early 70s, my dad got me a pamphlet which spoke about and illustrated diagrammatical signs which were replacing many text-only signs.

The pamphlet had a listing of some of the more common conversions (Yield, Hill, Signal Ahead, Slippery When Wet, Merge,...) with examples showing the old and the new designs, as well as an illustration of a BGS with diagram arrows.

I want to say this was around 1972 or 73 that the conversion went into high gear, which would mean we have reached the 50th Anniversary of the Red Yield Sign in the US as well as all the other signs using symbols instead of text.

I'd like to say Happy Golden Anniversary to these modernized signs, but does anyone know when the exact year of the start of the conversion was?

[GaryV]

I don't know the year, but it's long enough ago that some of the symbols aren't relevant any more. Examples: there are no longer teeter-totters in playgrounds, and a fire truck with a ladder strapped to the side is only seen when they haul out an antique for a parade.

[Big John]

That was the 1971 MUTCD, which also included orange signs and the no passing zone pennant.

[Henry]

That was the 1971 MUTCD, which also included orange signs and the no passing zone pennant.

So for the question posted in the OP, we made the golden anniversary in 2021.

[StogieGuy7]

When I was a young whippersnapper (and an early sign lover) in the early 70s, my dad got me a pamphlet which spoke about and illustrated diagrammatical signs which were replacing many text-only signs.

The pamphlet had a listing of some of the more common conversions (Yield, Hill, Signal Ahead, Slippery When Wet, Merge,...) with examples showing the old and the new designs, as well as an illustration of a BGS with diagram arrows.

I want to say this was around 1972 or 73 that the conversion went into high gear, which would mean we have reached the 50th Anniversary of the Red Yield Sign in the US as well as all the other signs using symbols instead of text.

I'd like to say Happy Golden Anniversary to these modernized signs, but does anyone know when the exact year of the start of the conversion was?

I remember all that too.  And, back in 72 or 73, the move to diagrammatical signage was so much in the forefront that one of the big cereals (wish I remember which) boasted of "free" new signs on the back of every box.  You just had to cut them out, which didn't seem odd at all back then as free records made you do the same.  Actually had a mini collection of 3 or 4 on my bedroom wall before all was said and done.

There were also PSAs on TV about the shift, and most road maps had a panel featuring the new signs. So, it was quite a big deal back then.

[thenetwork]

When I was a young whippersnapper (and an early sign lover) in the early 70s, my dad got me a pamphlet which spoke about and illustrated diagrammatical signs which were replacing many text-only signs.

The pamphlet had a listing of some of the more common conversions (Yield, Hill, Signal Ahead, Slippery When Wet, Merge,...) with examples showing the old and the new designs, as well as an illustration of a BGS with diagram arrows.

I want to say this was around 1972 or 73 that the conversion went into high gear, which would mean we have reached the 50th Anniversary of the Red Yield Sign in the US as well as all the other signs using symbols instead of text.

I'd like to say Happy Golden Anniversary to these modernized signs, but does anyone know when the exact year of the start of the conversion was?

I remember all that too.  And, back in 72 or 73, the move to diagrammatical signage was so much in the forefront that one of the big cereals (wish I remember which) boasted of "free" new signs on the back of every box.  You just had to cut them out, which didn't seem odd at all back then as free records made you do the same.  Actually had a mini collection of 3 or 4 on my bedroom wall before all was said and done.

There were also PSAs on TV about the shift, and most road maps had a panel featuring the new signs. So, it was quite a big deal back then.

Not to mention the smaller rectangular text signs below the new symbols that were used during the "conversion".

[StogieGuy7]

When I was a young whippersnapper (and an early sign lover) in the early 70s, my dad got me a pamphlet which spoke about and illustrated diagrammatical signs which were replacing many text-only signs.

The pamphlet had a listing of some of the more common conversions (Yield, Hill, Signal Ahead, Slippery When Wet, Merge,...) with examples showing the old and the new designs, as well as an illustration of a BGS with diagram arrows.

I want to say this was around 1972 or 73 that the conversion went into high gear, which would mean we have reached the 50th Anniversary of the Red Yield Sign in the US as well as all the other signs using symbols instead of text.

I'd like to say Happy Golden Anniversary to these modernized signs, but does anyone know when the exact year of the start of the conversion was?

I remember all that too.  And, back in 72 or 73, the move to diagrammatical signage was so much in the forefront that one of the big cereals (wish I remember which) boasted of "free" new signs on the back of every box.  You just had to cut them out, which didn't seem odd at all back then as free records made you do the same.  Actually had a mini collection of 3 or 4 on my bedroom wall before all was said and done.

There were also PSAs on TV about the shift, and most road maps had a panel featuring the new signs. So, it was quite a big deal back then.

Not to mention the smaller rectangular text signs below the new symbols that were used during the "conversion".

You're right, I almost forgot about that!  Younger folks today probably have no idea how big of a shift this was - I clearly recall that ALL signs were simply words within a certain color or shape (most were black lettering on safety yellow diamonds, YIELD signs were black on yellow upside down triangles). They'd say "HILL" or "SHARP CURVE" or SLIPPERY WHEN WET". The diagrammatical signs were touted as a way to bring us up to international norms (the attempted shift to the metric system came soon thereafter).

[JoePCool14]

Not to mention the smaller rectangular text signs below the new symbols that were used during the "conversion".

I know they are totally unnecessary, but I think aesthetically, diagrammatic signs plus the extra plaque look really nice.

[D-Dey65]

That was the 1971 MUTCD, which also included orange signs and the no passing zone pennant.

I still remember the Reader's Digest article about those signs.

[kphoger]

Examples: there are no longer teeter-totters in playgrounds

At the neighborhood playground my kids go to, that's literally one of the only three things to play on.

[frankenroad]

I took Drivers Ed in 1972.  I remember our teacher being very excited about the new signage.

Wasn't that around the same time that the center dashed line on a two-way roadway went from white to yellow?

[cwf1701]

I took Drivers Ed in 1972.  I remember our teacher being very excited about the new signage.

Wasn't that around the same time that the center dashed line on a two-way roadway went from white to yellow?

i would think so. I have a map from 1973 showing the transition to the signs in Michigan, which included the new look for state and US Highways (changing from cutouts to the black square). A short time after that map was published, i would see some of those new state shields posted on Gratiot Ave in Metro Detroit (the removal of the black signs for the Michigan Lefts that was for US-25 and replaced with Green Michigan Left signs for M-3)

[kphoger]

How has Jonathan not popped on here to tell us the exact date?

[CtrlAltDel]

How has Jonathan not popped on here to tell us the exact date?

I'm not Jonathan, of course, but the date mentioned in the 1971 MUTCD is the following:


Also, 1970 was fifty years ago? My sense of time is a bit warped.

[CtrlAltDel]

Also, on an almost completely unrelated note, I was perusing the 1971 MUTCD and came across this description of flagger qualifications, which I found interesting: