“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 time.” The origin of the symbol itself, one of the most graceful characters on the keyboard, is something of a mystery… find out about the accidental history of the @ symbol.” w/ photos
