It is July 19, 1941, when Prime Minister Winston Churchill celebrates ‘V for Victory’ in his speech and from that moment onward he goes out of his way to use the V hand gesture. As a cigar user, he often gestured with his palm facing in rather than out – an adaptation that meant something completely different (and vulgar) to members of other cultures.

It is July 24, 1963, in the White House Rose Garden when US President John F. Kennedy addresses a group of youth leaders attending a conference in Washington, DC. One of the young men that JFK shook hands with that day was 16-year-old Bill Clinton who later becomes another occupant of the White House. Clinton singles out this momentous occasion as an inspiration to enter public service, and the photo of that handshake becomes one of the iconic images of Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.

It is October 16, 1968, during the Olympic Games. US sprinter, Tommie Smith, wins the 200-meter race in a world record time of 19.83 seconds, and his fellow African-American team mate, John Carlos, completes it in 20.10, taking third place. During the medal ceremony, they raise a black-gloved fist, facing the American flag, and keep it raised until the anthem finishes. The gesture, known as the Black Power Salute, is remembered as an overtly political endorsement of human rights.