The answer is…

Octothorpe is the official name of the hashtag symbol. It’s a word invented by the scientists at Bell laboratories where the telephone came from. The octothorpe was added to the telephone keypad in the 1960s and was used as a way to send instructions in the telephone system. 

It’s also called the “pound sign” in the United Kingdom because the acronym “lb” can easily be confused with the British currency. 

#, or hashtag, also became famous in 2007 because of its use with social media and twitter. 

Double cross is a word that our Founder, Deb, came up with for this trivia question!

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Learning Connections

In elementary school, children are taught to ask questions and think critically about the world around them. Asking questions about the history and context of common objects and terms helps children to better understand their world. In particular, the study of the history of words and their historical development is called etymology. 

Extra Resources

Articles:

• Dictionary.com: Definition of the word" “Octothorpe”

• #History: the journey and many faces of the hash symbol

• A Decade Ago, the Hashtag Reshaped the Internet

Videos:

• And here is a video on how # became known as “hashtag” and started being widely used in social media - CNBC: The man who “invented” the #hashtag and how it changed social media

• Thanks to 11yr old Nakul P. of MA, he shared there was even a Smartfood commercial about Octothorpe. (:06).

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