Massachusetts City Was Birthplace of Iconic Smiley Face Symbol

Massachusetts is famous for a lot of things.

The American Revolution began here. Moby Dick swam off the coast of Massachusetts. Thanksgiving dinner became a thing in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts State Constitution was the model for the United States Constitution.

Many famous people are from Massachusetts, including Benjamin Franklin, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, John F. Kennedy, Kristian Alfonso and Emeril Lagasse. Heck, Michael J. Fox even named a daughter after a Massachusetts town.

Some pretty incredible inventions occurred in Massachusetts too. The chocolate chip cookie is from Massachusetts, as is basketball, Tupperware, the microwave oven, Fluff, and the ballpoint pen, to mention a few.

Did you know that one of the most iconic symbols of the last 70 years originated in Massachusetts?

The smiley face – a simple yellow circle outlined in black with two black oval eyes and a thin, broad, black smile – has made people happy since its invention in the 1960s. The symbol was the creation of commercial artist Harvey Ross Ball.

Ball was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on July 10, 1921. He died in Worcester on April 12, 2001. He was 79.

Ball attended Worcester South High School and Worcester Art Museum School. After World War II, Ball worked for a local advertising firm until opening Harvey Ball Advertising in 1959.

Ball created the smiley face symbol in 1963. Its purpose was to improve morale at a local company. He received $45 for the design. Before long, the smiley face image was on buttons circulated all over.

When Ball tried to secure a patent, the smiley face was already in the public domain. By the early 1970s, the smiley face was an international icon.