The ♂and ♀ symbols initially had nothing to do with representing human sex or gender.

SEX
Anthony Comstock would stop at nothing to rid the world of explicit photos, birth control, and anything else he deemed a threat to morals.
The male sexual organ is more complicated than it might seem.
People in the past had a way with words when it came to describing activity between the sheets.
In the animal kingdom, it’s not that unusual to start out as one sex and end up as another.
To curb teen pregnancies, schools in the ‘80s forced kids to care for another delicate dependent: an egg.
Airing in 1977, the show was an honest depiction of teen troubles—so honest that some adults couldn’t handle it.
Condoms in the Olympic Village have been a tradition—and a public health service—since 1988.
The origins of the phrase 'missionary position' involve Alfred Kinsey, some shoddy research, and zero actual missionaries.
Blue balls? Broken hymens? Popping your cherry? We’re covering all the topics you’ve always wondered about but were too embarrassed to ask.
“Showgirls” was one of the biggest box-office bombs of the 1990s, but this 1995 erotic drama about an exotic dancer turned Vegas showgirl has since become the stuff of midnight movie gold.
The therapist gave advice about masturbation and contraception at a time those subjects were still taboo.
If you thought modern-day dating was rough, just wait until you find out how these deep-sea dwellers get it on.
From critter-killing copulation to beautiful “bladder songs,” here are some of the strangest facts about sex in the animal kingdom.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, much of the world worked itself into a tizzy over the idea of people touching themselves.
You don't see too many Tunnel of Love rides at amusement parks today, but they once served an important—and risqué—social function.
A new study is proposing an innovative way to eradicate invasive murder hornets: literal thirst traps laced with pheromones.
Fans of '90s alternative music may recall King Missile's big single, "Detachable Penis." While the song may have been silly, it turns out than in the animal world, the idea isn't all that bizarre—at least not to the sea slug Chromodoris reticulata.
A mosquito bite eventually goes away. The image of a mosquito tornado, meanwhile, will live in your brain forever.