1Around 1991, a woman in California made small ribbons by hand at her home. Her name was Charlotte Haley, and she was in her late sixties. Her grandmother, her sister, and her daughter all had breast cancer. But her ribbons were not pink. They were peach.

2Haley put the ribbons on cards and mailed them to people. The cards said that only 5 percent of the National Cancer Institute's money went to prevention. In 1992, a magazine called Self wanted to work with her. But she said no because the plan felt too much like business. So the magazine chose a new color, pink. With help from Evelyn Lauder of a cosmetics company, stores gave out 1.5 million pink ribbons that year.

3Today, the pink ribbon is the symbol of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The month started in the United States in 1985, and it comes every October. Around the world, famous buildings light up in pink. In Japan, Tokyo Tower first turned pink in October 2000. People join walks, wear pink clothes, and learn about health checkups.

4Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women in Japan and in many other countries. Men can get it too, but this is rare. Some people say that companies sell too many pink things but give very little money to charity. So one group tells shoppers, "Think before you pink." A small ribbon cannot do everything. But it can start a talk about health and remind us to care for each other.