Newsgroups: comp.misc
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!torsqnt!lsuc!maccs!drake
From: drake@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (John Drake)
Subject: Re: Name that character!
Message-ID: <2843CC91.4945@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca>
Organization: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
References: <10599@castle.ed.ac.uk> <azPmJYC3NWq1.@idunno.Princeton.EDU> <448@mwuk.UUCP>
Distribution: comp
Date: Wed, 29 May 91 15:45:21 GMT

>> 	pound -- DEFINITELY pound :-)
>
>I have never understood why this gets called a "pound" sign in the US.
>Could it be something to do with the fact that many UK terminals and
>printers put the pound-sterling symbol on ASCII 0x23, which comes out on
>US equipment as '#' (which is DEFINITELY "hash" :-) ?

NO. For a long time # has been used in the US for pounds weight and has nothing
to do with pounds sterling. Why # is used for pounds weight I have
absolutely no idea.

# is also used as an abbreviation for 'number' as in Part #12345
John Drake