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Black Right-Pointing Triangle Emoji

The sign of the black right-pointing isosceles triangle can be found on any electronic device. This is the playback start sign. Or simply play. We click it when we want to start playing music or video.

When electrical appliances began to appear on the American market in the 30-40s, the concept of the industrial design didn't even exist. That's why ancient symbols were used for labeling them.

Some of the symbols were used on the first serial tape recorders in the 50s. Engineers from different companies that produced tape recorders started to duplicate the signature icons to make devices language free. The main idea behind these icons was the image of the direction and speed of the magnetic tape when you press a button.

For a decade there wasn't any unified system. Each company suggested its version. People were searching for the best one. Only in the late 60s thanks to the Japanese the chaos with the sound-reproducing equipment was finally over. Sony began to use the intuitive system of icons, which is almost the same up until now. One of the first devices was Sony TC–580 tape recorder. Isosceles triangle (Play) indicated the direction of the magnetic tape during the playback. Double triangles (Fast Forward and Rewind) marked the accelerated tape rewind in the appropriate direction. The square began to denote a complete stop of playback. The pause icon, which is two vertical lines, appeared a bit later. Some say that it was borrowed from the poets, who mark a pause in a poem likewise.

This marking system proved to be very successful and was subsequently used by all manufacturers of household and professional audio and video equipment. Some time later the International Organization for Standardization included the system in the ISO 7000 standard: Graphical symbols for use on equipment. Over time, people got so used to these icons that this system is still unchanged even after the appearance of digital devices which don't have any tape at all.