How did a white flag come to signify surrender?
June 1st, 2009 | 
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Abby O’Normal asked:
A white flag is, I think, universally recognized as a sign of surrender. What is the origin of this use of a white flag?
Thanks!
Yahoo wanted to put this in the Gay, Lesbian, Trannie section!
Cool, 3 answers in a row with the exact same Cut and Pasted info! lol
I don’t necessarily “disdain” cut and paste, but I find it humorous that 3 people in a row pasted the same thing.
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I say because white is such a soft color and when you surrender, your showing your softer side. Also, someone probably got caught in a hail of arrows or gunfire and all they had was a white cloth and threw it up saying they surrender. LOL
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The very second France became a country.
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Probably because most clothes were made out of white linen or wool ( since dying was expensive ) so they just ripped up their clothes and made a flag to get attention …. and from then on … Yeah you get it.
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it is a symbal of cleanliness unlike a red flag which stood for blood shed
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I came to your party so late because of your disdain for “cut and paste.” I have offered over 6,000 answers here and not one of them has been a paste. I am not a “data transfer agent.”
Every army prior to modern times has had its “Colors.” – be they national or regimental. No army or regiment has ever had a pure white flag, so its display can only mean surrender – or at least a desire to negotiate.
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I could be wrong here, but I think it’s because it is a neutral color..not black, blue,red, adifintum. The other colors are pretty strong in intensity so that signifies strong emotions. White is kind of neutral…peaceful
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A white flag signifies surrender because white means base and peace. when you offer peace, (esp. in a match) means you don’t have the power to fight any longer.
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Flag of surrender or truce
The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and request for negotiation.
It is also used to symbolise surrender, since it is often the weaker military party which requests negotiation.
A white flag signifies to all that an approaching negotiator is unarmed, with an intent to surrender or a desire to communicate.
Persons carrying or waving a white flag are not to be fired upon, nor are they allowed to open fire. The use of the flag to surrender is included in the Geneva Conventions.
The improper use of a white flag is forbidden by the rules of war and constitutes a war crime of perfidy. There have been numerous reported cases of such behaviour in conflicts, such as fighters using white flags as a ruse to approach and attack enemies, or killings of fighters attempting to surrender by carrying white flags.
Many times since the weaker party is in a decrepit state, a white flag would be fashioned out of anything readily available, like a t-shirt or handkerchief. The most common way of making a white flag is to obtain a pole and tie two corners of a sheet of cloth to the top of the pole and somewhere in the middle.
Origin
The first mention of the usage of white flags to surrender is made during from the Eastern Han dynasty (A.D 25–220). In the Roman Empire, the historian Cornelius Tacitus mentions a white flag of surrender in A.D. 109. Before that time, Roman armies would surrender by holding their shields above their heads. The usage of the white flag has since spread worldwide.
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The first mention of the usage of white flags to surrender is made during from the Eastern Han dynasty (A.D 25–220). In the Roman Empire, the historian Cornelius Tacitus mentions a white flag of surrender in A.D. 109. Before that time, Roman armies would surrender by holding their shields above their heads. The usage of the white flag has since spread worldwide
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The first mention of the usage of white flags to surrender is made during from the Eastern Han dynasty (A.D 25–220). In the Roman Empire, the historian Cornelius Tacitus mentions a white flag of surrender in A.D. 109. Before that time, Roman armies would surrender by holding their shields above their heads. The usage of the white flag has since spread worldwide.
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cuz its a symbol of pureness…I really have no idea…sorry…