The Maltese Cross (✠) has been the symbol of the Christian warrior since the First Crusade. It is in the form of four "V" shaped arms joined together at their bases, so that each arm has two points, and the cross has eight points in all. The term Christian means belonging to Christ and is derived from the Greek noun Χριστός Khristós which means anointed one, which is itself a translation of the Hebrew word Moshiach (Hebrew: משיח, also written Messiah), (and in Arabic it is pronounced Maseeh مسيح). Christian is primarily an adjective, describing an object associated... The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to regain control of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Christian Holy Land from Muslims. ...

Maltese Cross

Today the Maltese Cross remains the symbol of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. In recent centuries it has come to be adopted as the insignia of numerous orders of chivalry, and appears on the coat-of-arms of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz district. In Australia the Maltese Cross is the state emblem of Queensland, and is also the symbol for Ambulance Services nationwide. File links The following pages link to this file: User talk:Carlj7 Maltese Cross (symbol) User talk:Zeimusu/images Categories: Images with unknown source ... The Knights Hospitaller (the or Knights of Malta or Knights of Rhodes) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine nursing Order founded in the 11th century based in the Holy Land, but soon became a militant Christian Chivalric Order under its own charter, and was charged with the care... An Order is a decoration, awarded by a government to an individual, usually for distinguished service to a nation or to humanity. ... Mecklenburg-Strelitz is a Kreis (district) in the southern part of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ... Ambulance An ambulance is a vehicle designated for the transport of sick or injured people. ...

In Great Britain the first postmark employed for the cancellation of the then new postage stamps in the 1840s was the shape of a Maltese Cross and named accordingly. The Maltese cross is also the symbol of the Neath Rugby Football Club in Neath, South Wales. This article is about the postal marking. ... A machine cancellation On mail, a cancellation (or cancel for short) is a postal marking applied to a postage stamp or postal stationery indicating that the item has been used. ... This 1974 stamp from Japan depicts a Class 8620 steam locomotive. ... Events and Trends Technology First use of anaesthesia in an operation, by Crawford Long War, peace and politics First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February 6, 1840 at Waitangi New Zealand. ...

Modified versions (properly known as the cross pattée) appear as the Victoria Cross and on the flag of Wallis and Futuna. It also has been used (with an ellipitical orb in the center) as the official badge of the Delta Phi Fraternity since 1833. The official symbol of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity is the heraldic cross pattee, though the organization's founder thought it was a Maltese Cross when the organization was formed in 1865. Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (official post-nominal letters VC) is the highest award for valour that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces of any rank in any service and civilians under military command. ... The flag of Wallis and Futuna features a large white modified Maltese Cross - shifted a little off center toward the fly and slightly downward - on a red background; the flag of France outlined in white on two sides is in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is used... The Delta Phi fraternity was founded in 1827 at Union College, surviving the Civil War. ... Brief history of Alpha Tau Omega: Alpha Tau Omega was founded by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. ...

The cross used as the symbol of various Fire Services in the United States are often referred to as Maltese Cross, although this is strictly speaking incorrect.

At King George V's funeral procession, as the funeral cortege turned into New Palace Yard, the Maltese Cross fell from the Crown and landed in the gutter. This was viewed as a bad omen for the next King, Edward VIII, who would abdicate before the year was out. His Majesty King George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert Windsor, formerly Wettin) (3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was the last British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, changing the name to the House of Windsor in 1917. ... King Edward VIII King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, King of Ireland Emperor of India His Majesty King Edward VIII, (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David), later His Royal Highness The Duke of Windsor (23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972) was the second British monarch of the House... Abdication (from the Latin abdicatio disowning, renouncing, from ab, from, and dicare, to declare, to proclaim as not belonging to one), the act whereby a person in office renounces and gives up the same before the expiry of the time for which it is held. ...

External links

• Recent detailed examination of history
• Short history leading to reason why firefighters wear the cross
• MathWorld version of how to draw cross